EVERYTHING
by AyoChideBruv
Summary: Tony leaves DC with Tali to go to Israel. What he finds there puts him on a journey he never expected while still trying to figure out how to navigate being a single dad. Follow as he discovers what it means to be someone's everything.
1. Thoughts & Decisions

**_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own NCIS Or Any Of Its Characters!_**

 ** _Plot To This Story Is ALL Mine Though!_**

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 **A|N: This story is the 'prequel' to my other story "Not Easily Broken". If you haven't read it, you should! I thought it was pretty good! LoL! Anyhoo, here we are on the journey to reconnecting TIVA post 13x24.** **This is my shot at adding to the many theories of what Tony did once he left NCIS to raise Tali. Eventually, they get reunited with Ziva as we are all still secretly waiting for. Please, be patient though. I haven't written this the way most do by having Tony find Ziva in the first few chapters.** **There is some buildup that needs to happen ... a slow burn, if you will. Soooo, yeah, think I've talked enough. Enjoy!**

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 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter I - Thoughts & Decisions**

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 _What am I even doing?_

He looked over at his sleeping daughter and let out a sad sigh. They had only been in Israel for one day and he couldn't help but wonder if leaving Washington, DC to raise her on his own was the right decision. Was it smart to take on the responsibility of being a single father so far away from everyone who would have undoubtedly been there to help him?

 _Maybe we should go back ..._

Sure his NCIS family would welcome him home with open arms and they were already in love with his child. Afterall, he hadn't rented a place in Tel Aviv yet and he still had his place back in DC. They could stay in this hotel for a week as a little vacation then go back to his home.

 _Or we could just stay ..._

Truth was, nothing felt right anymore. For the first time in a long time he was lost, and that scared him immensely. His other option was Paris but, after he packed up his things back home, he couldn't bring himself to even consider going there again. Yeah, he told Gibbs they'd go there after visiting Israel for a while but Paris was their place ... his and the love of his life ... there was no point in going if it was only going to serve as a reminder of what never was and what never could be now that she was dead. That's where they first truly gave into their feelings, had their first date, made love for the first time but then they had to go back home and never really had that chance to continue on with the bliss that Paris had brought them. It became bittersweet so, no, Paris was no longer an option. At least in Israel something good came from their encounter and that good thing was the two year old laying just a few feet away from him.

 _I'm her everything now ..._

A buzzing from his pocket drew him from his thoughts. He pulled out his cell and looked at the caller ID: _'Orli Elbaz'_. He pondered whether to answer or not, but ultimately decided to see what the Mossad Director could possibly want. He hit 'accept' to answer the call but didn't say hello.

 _"Agent DiNozzo, are you there?"_

"It's just Tony now Orli. I'm not an agent anymore", he corrected.

 _"Right, I knew that. It is_ _just old habits, you know? I assume you and Tali have had enough time to settle in and rest here in Tel Aviv so ..."_

"We've only been here for 24 hours", he interrupted in disbelief. "How did you know we were here?"

Orli let out a small chuckle, _"You said yourself a few days ago that Mossad knows everything, did you not? You and Tali are both on a list for Mossad to be alerted if you travel to Israel. I assumed it would take you a little longer to step foot on Israeli soil, to be honest. But, I am glad that you have come."_

"Why are we on a list? And what made you assume we'd be coming here anyway for you to even put us on said alert list?"

 _"It is merely for your protection. Ziva asked me to do it after Tali was born just in case something ever happened to her so you and your daughter would always be safe and protected here."_

Tony was confused and a little flustered by the mention of Ziva. "Protected? By Mossad? Tali, yeah sure, I understand. But why me?"

 _"I understand your reservations, but I am being honest with you. Ziva put a plan in place to make sure you'd always be protected and have the support you needed for Tali. Her love for both you and your daughter has always made her to think ahead about your future needs. And, with that in mind, I needed you to come to Israel eventually for a matter of personal business so your arrival is perfect."_

"What kind of personal business that you couldn't just tell me when we were in DC?"

 _"Please, just come to Mossad headquarters. We will discuss it when you get here. There will be a car waiting for you directly outside your hotel in an hour to escort you. I will see you soon, Tony."_

Before Tony could utter another word, the call was ended. He raked his hand through his hair and sighed, wondering what Orli could possibly want. He couldn't help but feel a heaviness in his heart at the thought of what Ziva must have felt seemingly making plans for her death. It struck a nerve in him that led him to believe that maybe she felt the end was near. But then, why wouldn't she have reached out to him? It just hurt him all the more. Eventually, he shook his current thoughts and took a few deep breaths to ease his anxiety. This 'matter of personal business' at Mossad headquarters wasn't something he was looking forward to, but still he got up to get himself and Tali ready to make the visit.

Lifting his daughter, he spoke gently, "Come on Talikins, we have to get dressed."

Tali slowly began to wake as he pulled her off the bed and into his arms. "Nooooo", the two year old whined. Tony couldn't help but to chuckle at her defiance. It reminded him of Ziva on more than one occasion when he had to wake her from a peaceful nap.

"Yes, Tali. We have to go to Mossad and see Orli." He didn't really know why he was talking to her as if she would understand.

 _Of course she doesn't understand. She's only two! Come on DiNozzo, you can't expect her to really know ..._

Surprisingly, his thoughts were wrong. Apparently, Tali did understand and she knew exactly what going to Mossad meant.

"Ima!" She shouted in excitement and suddenly was wide awake. "Mossad help Ima!"

Tony looked at her in awe. All he could do was nod his head and sigh, "Yes babygirl, Mossad has helped Ima and they want to talk to us about her. Let's get dressed now, okay?"

"Okay Abba! Ima's at Mossad?"

Then again, maybe Tali didn't understand. Tony's heart sank as he decided to not answer the toddler's question. He didn't have it in him to tell her that Ima wasn't actually at Mossad. He couldn't bring himself to say that her mother was dead, burned in the fire that she herself had somehow managed to escaped. It was too much for him to take.

 _Can I really do this?_

He doubted that he could. What was the protocol on how father's told their daughter's that their mother would never return? There was no handbook for this sort of situation. No amount of training as a detective in Baltimore or an agent at NCIS could have ever prepared him for this moment. The moment where he felt completely lost and unable to solve the problem. There was no solution.

 _Death is permanent, right?_

That's when he decided that he would never be able to tell Tali about her mother outright. At least not now. Not when she was still so small and so unbelievably fragile. It was just too cruel and harsh. Orli had said that she knows that her mother is away, so he'll keep reminding her that Ziva is just away. Like on a mission. Yeah, that was his decision.

 _Just keep telling her that Ima is on a mission. She doesn't need to know the truth. Not yet._

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 **So, how do y'all feel about this start? Let me know in a review!**

 **Next chapter coming in a bit, predicated on if y'all want me to continue.**

 **Soooo yeah, let me know!** **Later peeps!**

 **\- Chide**


	2. Wills & Beliefs

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 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter II - Wills & Beliefs**

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Tony pushed Tali in the stroller as they were escorted through the familiar halls of Mossad headquarters and up to Orli's office. The officer who led them to their destination opened the door and motioned for Tony to enter. When he did, the officer closed the door behind them, leaving them alone with a pleasant looking Mossad Director and another man in whom Tony was not familiar with.

"Please, Tony, have a seat", Orli motioned towards a chair as she showed a gracious smile towards him and a once again napping Tali. "Welcome and thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Didn't really have a choice", he mumbled as his attention locked on the man sitting on the other side of the room.

Orli noticed the tension in his face, "I do believe introductions are in order, yes? Anthony DiNozzo, this is Mr. Dubin, he is a lawyer and the executor of both Eli and Ziva David's wills. Mr. Dubin, this is Anthony DiNozzo, the father of that little sleeping angel, Tali DiNozzo."

Both men shook hands silently, then Mr. Dubin stepped back over to where he was sitting as Tony's thoughts started going a mile a minute.

 _Great, I did NOT want to have to deal with a lawyer today. Why would Orli make me come here? Wait, if Ziva had time to make a will then she must have known something was coming. Why didn't she just come home with me? Why did I leave her here alone? I can't do this. This is too much. I have to get out of here._

Before he could announce his decision to leave, Orli went on to explain the nature of her needing him there. "Tony, I am not sure if you knew but, when Eli passed he left Ziva to be the sole heir of his estate and fortune. The amount of things she inherited was quite substantial, including the monetary inheritance of five million dollars."

Tony's eyes bulged out of his head as soon as he heard the amount of money his former partner, now deceased love of his life, had inherited. _Why the hell didn't she tell me that!? Five million!? What the hell!?_ He stifled a cough while trying to hold himself together and focus. After a few more moments of silence, he waved his hand casually for Orli to continue.

"Most of the properties Ziva received in her inheritance were placed on the market to be rented out as per her instruction since she felt that she would never use them. Ziva also entrusted me to oversee the account to which the rents from those properties go into on a monthly basis. The cars she received are at a parking facility right outside of Tel Aviv. There is also a yacht and private plane which are both stored at their respective place at a private dock at the Eliezer Peri 14 Marina and a private hanger at Sde Dov Airport. The payment for each of those storage spaces is paid automatically from the same account I oversee with the rental properties. It has been our arrangement since Eli was buried, that I take care of things on this end while Ziva continued to enjoy her new life in America. When she returned to Israel, she continued to allow me to take care of the logistics pertaining to her father's estate. All, except for the farmhouse, which you know is now gone and a few other properties to which she was still very unsure about renting, selling, or keeping."

She paused and Tony nodded as he asked, "Okay so, why have you called me here? I mean, you could have told me all of this back in DC or even over the phone. Ziva never once mentioned any of this. I don't see why I need to know about it now. Can't you just keep taking care of everything?"

"I can, but that is based on what you want, Tony. That is why I have called you here. After Tali's first birthday, Ziva prepared a will with the help of myself and Mr. Dubin here. She left her inheritance to you and Tali, as well as a classifed file concerning a private savings she kept. She also changed the names on the untouched account which holds the money Eli left her. The account is in both her name and yours, with Tali named as a beneficiary in the event that anything should happen to either you or Ziva."

Tony let out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his head and tried to wrap his mind around all the information he had just been told. "So, let me get this straight, Ziva was basically a multimillionaire this whole time and never had to want for anything but still decided to risk her life daily back in DC for a job and country she really owed nothing to, nor did she need?"

His aggravation was starting to show with a mix of his confusion as he stood and started to pace the floor, "She never told me about any of this! Now she's dead and I'm finding out that I've got five mill just sitting in an Israeli bank because she added my name to some account? Plus, I'm the guy she decides to give all the rest of her stuff to without ever even giving me any knowledge of it to begin with? Not to mention, and I'm just repeating what you said on the phone, I'm meant to use it for the future needs of the daughter we share in whom I just learned about and met a few days ago ... Am I getting all this right!?"

Orli nodded, "I know it is all a lot to take in Tony, but this is what Ziva wanted. Now please, try to calm down and take your seat. We do not want to wake sweet Tali as we still have more business to speak about."

He looked down at his peacefully sleeping daughter and took a deep breathe, exhaling as he sat down. "Fine, I now know what Eli left to her and I'm okay with keeping the same agreement she had with you about overseeing the accounts and keeping up with logistics. The account that's still in my name, it can remain untouched. I have enough saved to take care of myself and Tali. If it ever comes to needing it for an emergency before Tali goes to college, then I'll just come to you and get the information for it. Until then, it won't be necessary."

"Tony, are you sure? That money is yours to do as you wish. I do not doubt that you have a nest egg that could help you for now, but you are no longer a government agent working in the US. You are a single father who is unemployed. Eventually, you may need to use the funds that are rightfully yours and Tali's."

"No", he shook his head adamantly, "those funds were Ziva's, and my name being on that account was an afterthought. That money is not mine, maybe it's Tali's, but definitely not mine. We'll be fine. You can setup something so that Tali inherits it when she comes to a certain age."

Orli persisted, "I advise and insist that you at least give yourself a little time to think about it Tony. Despite not telling you about a lot of things, it was Ziva's wish to make sure that you all lived a comfortable life when the time came. She really was working towards returning to you before Trent Kort happened. I hope you understand how much her love for you made her make all of these decisions. Her greatest desire in those decisions— having a real family."

"Yeah, well, she never gave me a chance to be part of that with her and now it's too late." He paused to pick up Tali's stuffed dog Kalev and place it back in the stroller as it dropped from the toddler shifting in her sleep. Then, he looked up again and let out a slightly defeated sigh, "I'll take a few days to think about the money, but I'm pretty sure my answer will be the same. Now, that brings us to the other thing you mentioned in Ziva's will."

"Yes, the classified document concerning Ziva's personal savings. That is something Ziva made nonnegotiable in what you decide to take on as your responsibility in this matter." She took a moment to wait for Tony to say something as he let out a disbelieving sacarstic grunt that told of his obvious feelings towards being told it was 'nonnegotiable'. When he didn't speak his mind, but rather stared are her intently, Orli continued explaining, "While it is okay for you to have me oversee certain things as Ziva and I had previously arranged, Ziva added this document only a couple of weeks ago and made sure to add a clause that enforces that you are the only one to have access to its contents. Neither I nor Mr. Dubin know all of what it entails."

Tony huffed, "so what exactly do you know about it then?"

"It was Ms. David's savings", Mr. Dubin finally chimed in, causing Tony to look at him with a weird expression as he had forgotten the lawyer was even in the room.

"What kind of savings? More things she decided to hide from me", Tony asked with a harsh tone.

Mr. Dubin ignored the tone and went on speaking calmly, "From what she said, it is a guide to her insurance policy. It is supposed to serve as some sort of contingency in the event that she ever needed to leave the country on short notice. Ms. David was not clear on where the savings was located or how much money the policy was worth. Against my advisement, she insisted that no one but you read the full document to assess where the savings may be and go to access it."

"Great", Tony remarked sarcastically. "So neither of you know where this so called savings is located and I'm just supposed to what, read this mysterious document and figure it out?" Immediately he got upset again. Raising his voice slightly, "I have a daughter to raise on my own now! Need I remind you again, a two year old that I just met a few days ago!? I barely know how to be a father! I don't have time to chase down clues and leads. That's exactly why I left NCIS! I'm done trying to solve cases! So no, I'm not taking on the case of finding Ziva's hidden insurance policy! You can keep that document and everything else she wants to pass along! I don't care about her nonnegotiable clause, she's dead okay!? DEAD! She's not gonna know!" His nose flared as he finished his rant. His chest heaved as he panted, the raw mix of emotions evident on his face. He was scared, hurt, troubled, and angry ... Yeah, definitely angry.

Orli, however, was unfazed by the outburst. Seeing it only helped solidify in her mind that she would tell Tony the reason she wanted to speak to him, beyond just having him come to settle the will. She calmly cleared her throat and looked towards the surprised lawyer, "Mr. Dubin, could you excuse us? I will have the paperwork you need signed and sent to your office by this week's end." The man gave her a questioning look of protest but she insisted, "Please, I assure you, I will handle everything. Your presence is not needed just for a few signatures. I am sorry to have bothered you to come all the way here for it. There is now a seriously personal matter I need to discuss with Mr. DiNozzo that requires our privacy."

With reluctance, Mr. Dubin nodded and made his exit quietly. Tony looked behind him at the closed door then back at Orli, "I'm pretty sure we're done here. I really don't want to hear anything else. Tali will wake up soon anyway and is going to want to eat. I need to get back to my hotel."

He stood to prepare to leave but Orli spoke with authority against it. "Tony, we are not finished. Now you will take your seat and listen to what I have to say!"

"Last I checked, I'm a grown ass man and not one of your Mossad lackeys", Tony countered with a heavy attitude as he scoffed. "You don't give me orders!"

"I do when you are in my country, at my agency, in my office. NOW SIT!"

It surely wasn't her tone that made him sit back down like a child that had just been scolded by their mother. No, it was something else. Maybe the way her eyes did not reflect her authoritative stance. They much rather pleaded with him in sincerity to hear her out and it left him instantly intrigued. He titled his head and raised his eyebrow to signal for her to speak.

"You asked me something the other day when we were in Director Vance's office. Something I did not get to answer." Orli's voice was now uncharacteristically timid. In a small hushed tone. As if she was almost completely afraid to tell him what she wanted to say. The change in tone now matched her pleading eyes that looked at him for reassurance that it was the right thing to speak. Tony nodded after she fell silent for a moment, giving her the reassurance she needed. "You asked if I was sure that Ziva is dead? I would like to answer that question now."

Tony shifted uncomfortably in his chair. All he had wanted to hear in the last few days was that Ziva was still alive. A small piece of hope started to glimmer before him— but only a small piece. He made sure not to read too much into it before she spoke further. The grieving former agent just couldn't afford to be fully hopeful only to hear a death confirmation again. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, "okay, what's the verdict?"

"There were no remains found at the David farmhouse", Orli started out slowly. "There was nothing found in the testing we've done on the ashes to show any signs of their being a human burnt within that house. Nothing at all. We have searched everything and ran every possible test. I, and my people, have concluded that her body just is not there."

"What are you trying to say?" He slid forward so he was sitting at the edge of the chair, absentmindedly grabbing the hand of his napping baby.

"What I am saying, Tony, is that I am not sure that Ziva is actually dead. Gone? Yes. But as for her being dead, I do not know for sure. Every part of me says she is alive." Orli paused to hand him a tissue as unexpected tears began to fall from his eyes. She sighed, "I have a question for you Tony and I would like you to take a moment to think before you answer."

Tony nodded to acknowledge that he would think before he gave his answer and Orli continued, "Two weeks ago, when Ziva came with the classified document, she said something that peaked my curiosity but I decided not to question her. Maybe I should have questioned the motive behind the statement, but from my past experience with you, I knew it to be the truth. She said that you would always know how to find her. Then she made me promise that I would get this document to you at any cost following what was to come. I felt as if she was expecting her life to be in jeopardy soon. That day, she also made me promise to make sure Tali was brought to you by me with a specific bag in which she would keep packed for when the time came that you needed it. I gave that bag to you when we were in Washington. She said it would benefit you more than Tali. I am not sure Tony, but to me, it sounded like Ziva knew about the threat coming before any of us did and she was planning an escape. I believe that she is too skilled and also too prepared to just be blindsided and killed in that fire. Especially with Tali being in her life. You have no idea how motherhood heightened her sense of awareness and sensitivity to know when danger was lurking."

"I still haven't heard you ask a question Orli", he spoke through his tears as they kept coming. He was getting impatient while hope kept pulling at his heart strings.

"Why did you come to Israel, Tony? Was it to continue raising Tali in her homeland? Or was it for something else?"

He was about to say he didn't know, but then he remembered Orli's request to think so he did. After giving it a few minutes of thought, drying his eyes, and getting his breathing level, he finally responded. "I came here to find answers. No one else seems to be looking for them and neither Ziva nor Tali deserve to be kept in the dark. There has to be something at the farmhouse that you and your people have overlooked. I need to find it so I can give her peace."

"Give who peace, Ziva or Tali? Because you speak now as if you believe Ziva is still alive. As if your search for answers is more about finding Ziva than it is about bringing peace to Tali. It is quite a change from a few minutes ago. There is a confidence in you again, or maybe it is hope. So, what is it? What has changed your demeanor?"

"Hope. You said you haven't found her body. You said Ziva was too skilled and prepared. It just reminded me of why I even left DC in the first place", he answered honestly. "You gotta believe what you gotta believe, and I believe that Ziva's alive somewhere out there. Like you said, gone but not dead. She can't be dead. Not when Tali needs her. Not when I ... when I need her. Not when I never got the chance to tell her how much I truly loved her ... how much I STILL love her. My heart won't let it go. Hell, my soul won't let her go. And if my soul won't let go, then she has to be alive!"

"Good, if that is what you believe, then I need you do what she said you knew how to do. I need you to find her, Tony. You have neutralized the threat. If she is out there hiding, then maybe she does not know that it is safe and is expecting you to find her." Orli spoke with unexpected desperation in her voice which took them both by surprise. "Please Tony, you have to do it! Check that bag I gave you. There may be a message or something. And take the document with you to read as well. I think that what the classified part of her will contains is a way for you to track her. A way in which only you could follow. I am not entirely sure, but I have this nagging feeling that that is what it is."

"Why are you helping me with this?" His returned reservation was warranted after he really caught up to what was actually being asked of him. "Why do you want me to find her so badly? It's almost like your more hopeful than I am that she's alive, although I doubt that's really possible."

Orli smiled softly, "You are right, I am quite hopeful ... Because I do not want to believe that the young woman, who I could see as my own daughter at times, is really dead. Not with the way things happened. Just as you have a feeling in your heart and soul, so do I. And, like you said, I am choosing to believe what I have to believe. My belief is that she alive and in hiding. But, you know as well as I, that tracking down Ziva is nearly impossible when she goes off the grid. Actually it IS impossible, except for when you are looking for her." She stood and walked around her desk. Placing a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder, she looked deeply in his eyes so he could clearly see the truth she was about to speak. "I know how much she loves you and, now, I know how much you truly love her. Both of you have endured enough and deserve happiness and family— together. I want to see that for my beloved Eli's daughter. Just as it was one of his last wishes, it is my wish for her as well. Please, take what Ziva has left you and use it to give Tali her mother back. Use it to get the love of your life back. I never got that chance with Eli, but you have your chance now, Tony. Take it."

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 **So, how ya'll feeling so far?** **Let me know your thoughts.**

 **P.S. — I like writing Orli as someone positive and proTIVA =)**

 **\- Chide**


	3. Diamonds & Go-Bags

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 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter III - Diamonds & Go-Bags**

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When they left Mossad headquarters, Tony still had no idea what he was actually doing. Sure, it felt great to know that someone else shared in his hope that Ziva was alive but, he was partially terrified that he may actually be wrong. Still, he decided to listen to Orli and search for some clues. Before doing so though, he had to feed a very hungry and cranky Tali. They had stopped on the way back to the hotel to buy some lunch and he was now sitting in the small room trying to get the two year old to keep the food in her mouth instead of dropping it on her shirt.

He sighed when she spit out another spoonful, "You really don't like this stuff do you? Guess I should have let Uncle Jimmy make us some to-go food to bring along. Come on kiddo, help abba out here. I know you're hungry, just eat this and then I promise to find us something better for dinner later. Maybe pizza?!"

His begging tone, or maybe it was the pitiful look in his eyes, seemed to get Tali to cooperate as she went from frowning to smiling and accepted the assorted mix of steamed vegetables. Actually, it was probably the mention of pizza. It was like she knew how to get her way with him already. Tony could only think about how much the little mini Ziva was just that ... a mini Ziva ... always playing on his need to make sure she was happy and had what she desired.

 _Okay, maybe that's a little sophisticated for a toddler, but she does seem to be a lot like Ziva. I wonder what she's actually inherited from me ... well, besides pizza love._

A short while later, after completing the tasks of feeding her, giving her bath, and changing her clothes, Tony sat Tali on the bed to watch a movie on his laptop while he began his inspection of her go-bag. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. If Ziva had truly told Orli that the bag was meant to benefit Tony more than Tali, then he couldn't readily identify why. It was full of all the things a toddler would need, not stuff for a grown man— well, except for the picture of him and Ziva in Paris and the scarf that smelled exactly like the love of his life. Her scent so strong that it seemed as if she had bottled up that totally Ziva mix of coconuts and Shea butter then sprayed it on the scarf so he'd never forget her smell. Like he would ever forget. That was impossible.

 _Less impossible than me finding any type of clue in this damn bag!_

He grunted in frustration and was almost startled when Tali mimicked the sound next to him. Looking down at the giggling toddler, he smiled and spoke, "Uncle Jimmy was right, huh? You mirror what you see— and hear for that matter. Noted." Tony kissed the top of the toddlers head as her attention quickly went back to the Disney princess singing and dancing on the laptop screen.

Tony shook his head, marveling at how his movie collection would now have to expand to add every princess movie ever made. After giving it a few more moments of thought, he drew himself back to the task at hand. Not wanting to pull everything out of the bag one by one anymore, he dumped all of its contents at the far end of the bed. As expected, apart from what he already identified as 'not for toddlers', everything else in the bag was for Tali's use— a few outfits, a sweater, lotion, diapers/pull-ups, sippy cup, etc.

"Maybe Orli was wrong. There aren't any clues or hidden messages", he spoke under his breath as he stood up to return the items back to the bag. Making quick work of putting everything back the way it was to fit properly, Tony almost didn't notice the small white rock that fell out of Tali's sweater pocket and onto his barefoot before hitting the floor.

 _What the hell?_

He bent down to pick up the object and instantly his eyes grew wide when he realized exactly what it was. "Dia-mon!" Tony's face twisted at Tali's exclamation of the uncut diamond he held in his hand. Silently nodding as Tali yelled again, "Dai-mon! Mine Abba! Mine!"

"Yours Tali?" The toddler gave an animated nod in response as he sat on the bed next to her. Obviously temporarily uninterested in princess movies, she climbed into Tony's lap and inspected the object with him.

Tali placed her small hand on the diamond then looked up to her father, "Ima have two!"

Tony looked at her confused. He thought she was saying 'too' as if to inform that Ziva also had a diamond with her. In his mind, it hadn't registered that this was a clue. Tony didn't get that Tali was actually informing him that there was a second diamond.

When he did not move after a few moments, Tali moved from her spot on his lap and crawled to the end of the bed. She grabbed her sweater and sat on Tony's lap, this time turning into him more. He watched intently as the toddler pulled out another diamond, this one larger than the one Tony was holding. His mouth hung open wide in shock as Tali placed it in his other hand. She pointed to the first diamond, "mine!" Then she pointed to the second, "abba's!"

"Tali's", he questioned softly while raising that diamond she'd pointed out as hers. When she nodded with a smile and he did the same gesture with the other, "abba's?" Again she nodded then took her diamond and found interest in her movie again. Leaving Tony stunned as he stared at 'his' diamond. Eventually, his mind drifted to the plane ride he and Ziva took to Berlin in their search for Ilan Bodnar a few years ago. She had said that her father led her to Berlin by way of:

 _"'Diamonds. He had setup a network of dealers in place just in case he ever needed to get out fast. He told me to setup a network of my own. Random dealers. Difficult to trace.'"_

Was it possible? Had Ziva done what Eli had told her to do? If she had, then maybe the random diamonds in their daughter's sweeter weren't so random at all. Tony looked over at Tali, it was clear to him now that Ziva had taught her more than just who he was. He had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Ziva had trained the 2 year old enough to help him come find her. It seemed far fetched in his head, but Tali seemed really smart. Too smart. Just like her mother, she saw things and noticed things and ...

"I need to take her to the farmhouse", he abruptly thought out loud. If the diamonds in the go-bag really were a clue that Tali knew about, then he wanted to see what else she might know. Tony reasoned with himself that taking her back to what was left of the only home she'd ever known could serve as some form starting place for them both to find answers, and to find Ziva.

 _It's a long shot, but so is a two year old surviving mortar fire and walking around with diamonds in her sweater._

He reached over and closed the laptop, causing Tali to look at him with an angry face for cutting her movie short. Tony chuckled as he picked her up, "you look just like your mother when she's pissed, but I promise you can finish you movie later, Ninja Jr. Right now, we have to take a little trip. Okay?"

Tony wasn't really looking for a response as he strapped Tali into her stroller and handed Kalev to her in place of him taking her diamond away. He slid his shoes back on, placed both diamonds in his pocket, and grabbed the classified file off the nightstand then set out to find something, anything to help his search. Starting with tapping into his new found courage to actually see the place where Ziva had supposedly died. Surely there had to be answers there.

* * *

 **Oh, I cannot wait for the next chapter!**

 **Y'all still riding with me? Let me know you're alright!**

 **P.S. — I have papers I've been procrastinating to write,**

 **sooo do not get used to all these updates in rapid succession. LoL**

 **I will try my best to keep up with this pace though ...**

 **\- Chide**


	4. Ashes & Hope

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter IV - Ashes & Hope**

* * *

The ride in the taxi to the David farmhouse was long and quiet. When they arrived, it took all of Tony's strength not to tell the driver to just turn back around and return them to the hotel. His eyes watered when he saw what remained— nothing. Taking a deep breath, after paying the driver and removing Tali's stroller from the trunk, he strapped his daughter back in the stroller and walked slowly towards where the entrance of the farmhouse used to be.

"Srefah", Tali barely spoke above a whisper. The fear in her voice causing Tony's heart to break.

Of the few Hebrew words that he knew, that was one of them and he instantly felt the same pain he'd felt when he was told that Ziva was dead. 'Fire'— that's what his child remembered of the home she had known her entire life. The place were she was conceived in love had now been destroyed in senseless hate.

Tony walked in front of the stroller a knelt down to her, "Yes babygirl, there was a fire but you are safe now. Abba will keep you safe. I promise." He kissed away a silent tear that had escaped from the toddler's eye then stood.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have brought her here._

Not wanting to upset Tali anymore, he turned the stroller towards the orange grove that was still intact next to the house. After making sure she had settled enough, Tony took a few more steps closer to the rubble. The scene was right out of _A Home of Our Own,_ except there was no charred bottle holding a savings to serve as hope to rebuild. He froze right where he knew the front door used to be, recognizing that he'd find nothing.

Ash and debris surrounded him now. This place that once served as the location of his and Ziva's 'fond farewell' was no more. It's history erased. It's memories lost. Once a stoic haven for a family of power. Now reduced to charred wood and still settling dust. He could still smell the smoke. He could still feel the immense heat from the flames. It was like he had been here right as the attack came. Somewhere deep within, he wished he had been here.

 _Maybe I could have saved them both._

He shook his head to remove the image of Ziva's body being burned. "No", he spoke to himself, "she's still alive. She has to be!" Breathing seemed impossible, but still he tried. Taking another deep breath, Tony willed himself to end of house where Mossad had found Tali. He remembered Orli saying that her room was in a corridor not touched by the fire, but that corridor no longer existed. How they had managed to get to Tali now baffled him. Even more so, he questioned why Ziva would leave her behind?

Tony looked back across the yard to check on Tali. He saw her legs swinging out of the stroller and Kalev being bounced up and down, that meant she was fine ... but he wasn't. Feeling like making this trip was a waste, he wanted to leave. There weren't going to be any answers here. Just more questions that were already reeling in his mind. He stepped to where the living room once was and took a moment to remember his last time in it. They had made Ziva's new 'I Will' list and spoke about their future— a future that was supposed to happen after Ziva made it through her journey to rediscover self.

 _It was never supposed to be like this ..._

He sighed, then walked back over to Tali. As she played with her stuffed dog, Tony took the classified file from where he had stored it at the bottom of the stroller. Slowing, he sat on the ground in front of Tali, not the least bit concerned about getting the ashes on his clothing. He really didn't care. No more expensive suits. The jeans he wore would survive the soot stains.

Tony broke the seal on the folder and opened it carefully. What immediately caught his attention were the three photos inside— one of Tali's sonogram, one of the day their daughter was born, and one from her 1st birthday. He took his time in looking at all three. Carefully tracing the outline of Tali's features on each. He paid specific attention to the one that showed new born Tali ... it was the only one with Ziva in it. He could tell that it had been a selfie that she printed. Mother and daughter were both smiling with brilliant shining eyes. His heart swelled with even more love for both of them.

 _The perfect picture of the DiNozzo girls ..._

Had he just thought that? Tony nodded to himself with a smile. Yeah, they were both DiNozzo! He was going to make sure of that when he found Ziva. To finally make her his wife ... just like he'd dreamed.

Shaking his thoughts and moving the photos to his pocket, he focused on a note on top of the files that were stored in the folder. It was Ziva's handwriting. He knew it well. Slowly he read her words as hope grew strong within him once more.

 _'My love,_

 _If you are reading this, then it means that Orli has followed through with my instruction and has given you everything you need to do what you do best. I am sorry that all of this has happened. For the pain I know I have ultimately caused you. I regret not ever finding the courage to tell you about our precious little girl but, I find peace now in knowing that Tali is safe with you._

 _Please, stay safe and take care of the both of you. As of right now, I do not know what is coming but I feel there is an attack on the way. Since you have received this file, it means I am presumed dead. I know your heart is just as stubborn as mine, so I know it is telling you otherwise. Believe what your heart says, my love. You have rescued me before, I beg you, please do it again. For now, I cannot say where I have gone but this document, and my gifts to you and Tali, should serve as a guide for you to find me. I pray you have not yet lost hope. You said once that you could not live without me, is that still true? If it is, I will be waiting for you and our daughter. I love you Tony._

 _Forever Yours,_

 _— Zi'_

"Abba no cry." Tony looked up to see Tali's outstretched arms begging him to come to her. He hadn't even noticed the tears that had begun falling from his eyes. He glanced down at the file once again and noticed what looked to be account numbers and dealer locations. Wiping his eyes and instantly thinking of Berlin again, he stood back up and pulled Tali out of the stroller to hold her close.

"Sorry little ninja, abba didn't mean to cry." He let out a chuckle when Tali pulled back slightly to wipe one last tear that rolled down his cheek. Tony kissed her forehead softly, "thank you Talikins ... now let's get out of here. It's time for pizza and to figure out where ima is."

"Ima!?" Her excitement brought a smile to his face.

"Yes, Ima, she's waiting for us babygirl. But first we have to read all these papers. She always did leave the most paperwork", he joked as he put Tali back in the stroller and called another taxi.

Only once more did Tony look back at what used to be the farmhouse. He had no reason to look again. It was gone and so was Ziva. He was sure that she'd gotten out now, and a renewed vigor fell upon him. Their future was ahead, somewhere out there beyond the ashes, waiting for them to come save her. And, even if took him the rest of his life, he knew he'd eventually find her.

 _I made a promise to fight for you Ziva, and I never break my promises ... not to you. I'm still fighting. Hold tight baby, we're coming!_

* * *

 **Well, I think it's time for someone to make an appearance in the next chapter ... how 'bout y'all?**

 **That's right peeps! Ziva is coming in chapter five! Y'all ready? I know I am! LoL**

 **\- Chide**


	5. Turmoil & Voicemails

**A|N: For time's sake, the story will begin to go through time progressions.**

 **Any background information will be given when necessary.**

 **If you've read "Not Easily Broken", then you know why we're skipping through time. LoL.**

 **#shamelessplug #justfindheralready #thischapterisnotwhatyouthink**

 **Now read-on and enjoy!**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter V - Turmoil & Voicemails**

* * *

Four months.

It had been four months since she was pronounced dead and she was getting impatient. He should have found her by now. There was no way for him to be confused. She had laid out everything so clearly ...

 _At least I thought I did._

Truth is, Ziva didn't know if Tony was actually looking for her or not. It was possible that he hadn't gotten her message. Or worse, he did, but had no intention in trying to find her. The fact remained, she knew he probably had to be angry with her. With not telling him about Tali. With forcing him to walk away. With stopping all communication even after he had tried so hard to keep connected through long distance.

 _Maybe he's done fighting._

She sighed as she stepped off the plane, into the Israeli night sky. Each month since her 'death', Ziva had alternated between going to Paris and Tel Aviv. If Tony had been following her guide, he would know that this month she was back in her homeland. Sure, she was keeping an extremely low profile but he would still be able to find her. After all, that is what he did best— find her, rescue her, bring her home.

Her heart hurt being so unsure. Not just about Tony finding her but, primarily, because she still had no clue if Tali was even with him. She'd watched from close by as Mossad and first responders pulled Tali from her father's burning farmhouse. She saw when Orli took her crying baby and left with her in the standard government issued suv. It took every fiber of her being not to come out from where she hid and scream that she was okay. But as she watched the violent flames engulf her home, Ziva felt it wasn't over. Her instincts said that there was still a threat out there and she couldn't chance putting her precious angel in harms way. No, Tali was safer with Orli until she got to her father. And even if Tony didn't want to accept her, which she doubted, Ziva still knew that Orli would look after her little girl.

Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing where Tali was. She couldn't just pop up at Mossad or NCIS demanding answers— it was too risky. So she remained hidden in the shadows. Every month, like clockwork, using the tools that her father had taught her to convert cash to diamonds then convert diamonds back into cash. That was how she would communicate with Tony, if he was paying attention.

Ziva came out of her torturous thoughts when the taxi pulled up to the familiar house. She paid the driver and stepped out with her small luggage. A few minutes later, the door opened without her even having to knock.

"Right on schedule", the woman chuckled as she hugged Ziva and ushered her inside. "Shalom!"

"Shalom Paza", Ziva greeted her old friend. Paza Belsam was, as far as she knew, the only person that knew she was alive. Although Ziva had struggled with whether or not to do it, she had eventually reached out to her friend shortly after the attack and Paza was the only person she trusted with the direct knowledge of her whereabouts. Her friend had been on leave from work when the fire happened and Ziva knew she could flee to her without anyone knowing. Living alone, Paza readily opened her home to Ziva as a hiding place. The remoteness of the house making it harder for anyone to trace Ziva there if there was an enemy still looking for her. It was also helpful that no one truly knew of their friendship so Paza would be the absolute last person anyone would try to come to for information on Ziva... although, that may not have been very helpful either. At any rate, her friend served more than one purpose and Ziva was grateful. "Have you found out anything yet?"

Although Paza was Mossad, she hadn't been able to get any information concerning Tali or Tony for Ziva— not for lack of trying though. Orli had kept Tali's whereabouts on the hush and there was no mention of Tony either. Both women assumed that the Mossad Director had done this for their protection. Unfortunately, Paza's security clearance didn't allow her to access certain areas of Mossad's database either. For example, the part of the database that would confirm whether or not Tony and Tali had even been in or out the country.

With a sorrowful headshake, Paza gave her typical response, "Nothing yet my friend. I'm sorry. It seems Orli still has them both off the grid. There is no way for me to know for sure if Tali is with Tony. Or if he has even made contact with Mossad."

"It is okay", Ziva sighed. "She cannot keep them hidden forever."

"Ziva, maybe it is time for you to just come to Mossad and let Orli know you are alive. I am sure by now that she has tracked down the people who attacked the farmhouse and has had them eliminated."

"You do not know that for sure, Paza. Me showing up at Mossad is too risky right now. Not when someone could still be after me. It is better for everyone, including Orli, to believe I am dead. I just have to keep believing that Tony has Tali, and that he has what I left him."

Paza sighed, "I just wish my clearances went higher so I could be of more help. There has been no chatter at my level whatsoever. If you are a target still, Orli is making sure not to include too many people in whatever investigations or ops she has going on."

"You have helped me more than I can ever thank you or repay. Just keep trying and listening for any changes. We have to get something eventually, yes? And even if we do not, Tony will find me. It is what he does."

"Of course. One way or the other, someone will know something. I just have to keep asking around." Realizing that Ziva's hope was fading in the conversation, Paza walked towards the kitchen and changed the subject. "Are you hungry? I made chicken souvlaki with tzatziki."

Ziva shook her head 'no' wearily. "As good as that sounds, I think I would like to shower and rest a bit. Maybe after a nap I can eat."

Paza gave an understanding nod, "Well, you know the way to your room. Just let me know if you need anything." Just as Ziva began walking up the steps, her friend called her back, "Oh Ziva! I almost forgot you asked for a new one." She handed a burn phone over to Ziva. "The number is on the back to activate when you are ready."

"Thank you, I will disconnect the old one after my shower." With a small smile, she made her ascent up the stairs and into the room that was becoming too familiar for her liking. As much as she loved Paza, and appreciated everything she had done to help her, Ziva would much rather be in her home— preferably one that she shared with Tony back in DC while raising their daughter together.

* * *

 **.**

* * *

While in the shower, Ziva couldn't shake the desperate idea she had to make a phone call to get answers. She had to be insane, right? Maybe, but she was feeling more desperate than usual and it was killing her not knowing. One phone call to him couldn't hurt. Actually, she reasoned, it would speed things up and get her reunited with her family sooner. But it was still a risk. A major risk.

After 20 minutes of wrestling with herself, she got out the shower and went back to her room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, once she had gotten changed into her sleepwear, she held the old burner phone in her trembling hands. It was time to disconnect it, but indecision struck her ...

 _If I disconnect it then he cannot trace it ... if he even answers at all. But, then again, I could use the new phone in a few days and try again. Or, I could just not call ... No Ziva, you need answers. Call him! Someone in DC needs to know you are alive and you need to know if Tali is safe. But then there is still the threat. And, what if he refuses to help? You pushed him away, remember? He has no reason to help you. Or maybe he would help you, because he has to still care right? That is what he said in his last email before you decided to play dead. Okay, fine, you will call and if he does not answer then you take it as a sign._

It was 2030 hours in Tel Aviv, which meant it was 1330 in Washington, DC. Definitely early enough to call. Surely he would answer at this time of day. She was scared he wouldn't but, knowing him, he would. Especially if he noticed that it was an international number. But then, what would she say if he did answer?

 _'Oh hey! I know we have not spoken in three years and you thought I died four months ago but, I was just wondering if you could meet me in Tel Aviv because I really miss my family. By the way, do you know who tried to blow me up and if they are still trying to kill me?! If so, could you take care of that for me too?'_

"Ugh", she grunted in frustration with her indecisiveness. "Come on Ziva, get a grip and just call him!"

Truthfully, she was petrified but she still needed to try. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ziva dialed the number she knew by heart and waited in nervous anticipation as it rung ...

* * *

 **.**

* * *

"Have you seen my cell? Thought I took it to Abby's lab with me but it's not in my pocket."

Bishop looked up from reading over a cold case file and shrugged, "No, haven't seen it. Did you leave it in the bathroom when you went?"

"Uhhhh ..."

"McGee!"

"Yes Boss?" McGee turned around just in time to catch his phone as Gibbs had tossed it to him. "Thanks Boss, where was it?"

"Like Bishop said, ya left it in the head. Ya good?"

"Right, Yeah just been feeling weird", he sighed and sat back at his desk. "I've been so off today. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Well get it together, never know when we're gonna get a call", Gibbs said as he made his way out of the bullpen. "Going for coffee! Be back in thirty."

After Gibbs got on the elevator, McGee looked down at his phone. He had one missed call. Checking the number, his face twisted in confusion, "That's odd."

"What's odd", Bishop asked while going back to reading the case file.

"I have a missed call from an international area code."

"Could be Agent Stokes calling back for help on her case", Bishop offered.

"No, I doubt it, she's in Japan. It's almost 0300 there. Plus, this isn't the right area code. I think this is the area code for Paris."

Bishop looked up, slightly intrigued, "Who do you know in Paris?"

"Um, no one, I don't think."

"Well did the mystery caller leave a voicemail?"

McGee looked at her as if she had just told him the solution to solving world hunger. He slapped his forehead for not thinking to just check the voicemail from the start. "I swear I'm so slow today."

Bishop just chuckled and watched as he entered the pin to listen to his voicemail. After a few moments, she got concerned as McGee's face dropped in a mix of unreadable emotions. "What's wrong?"

"She didn't say anything, but I could hear her crying."

"Who?"

"I think ... I think that was ..." McGee struggled to wrap his mind around what he was about to say. _It couldn't have been ... could it?_ He shook his head trying to refocus. There was no way it was her. Not after all this time. _And not when she's ..._

"McGee!" Bishop snapped him out of his thoughts and stared into his eyes. "Who was it?"

"Ziva."

* * *

 **Please, my peeps, don't hate me. LoL**

 **I might be back later. Right now, I needs to do other work.**

 **These papers and dictations aren't going to write themselves!**

 **\- Chide**


	6. Bodies & Facts

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter VI - Bodies & Facts**

* * *

"Ziva?" Bishop stood up from her desk and walked over to McGee. Both looking at each other in total disbelief.

"Uh huh ..." Was McGee's only reply.

Bishop scratched her head, "As in former Israeli Mossad assassin turned American NCIS agent, Ziva?"

"Uh huh ..."

"Like, the agent I was hired to replace, Ziva?"

"Uh huh ..."

"Ziva David? Tony's Ziva?"

"Yes Ellie!" McGee finally snapped back out of his confused haze. "Tony's Ziva!"

Bishop shook her head slowly. "That's impossible", she whispered as she put her hand on McGee's shoulder, "Tim, she's dead."

He shrugged her hand off his shoulder and stepped back, eyes glazed over in pain mixed with possible hope. "I know what I heard."

"McGee, you said you were having an off day. Clearly, it is a VERY off day because Ziva David is dead. She's been dead for four months now. You stood here beside me and watched her house burn to the ground. You're the one that gave the confirmation to DiNozzo that she died in the fire. How the hell is it that she's calling you now?"

"They never found her body ..."

Bishop sighed and tried desperately to get through to her partner, "Tim, please, don't do this to yourself. Whoever that was that called was not Ziva. It is impossible."

"Is it", he asked harshly.

"Yes! Very much so!"

"They never found her body!" He repeated again, more sternly this time. His voice unwavering, telling of the confident realization he had yet to speak aloud. _Ziva's alive!_

Bishop couldn't understand why he kept pressing the point. "Her house was attacked by mortar, Tim. You saw the pictures and videos of the damage. There's no way she got out of there alive!"

"Tali did", he stated bluntly.

"Yeah, by a miracle."

"Hmph, you don't know Ziva, Ellie."

She looked at him with a puzzled face, "No, I DIDN'T know Ziva. But, I do know what the reports say!"

"Reports can be wrong sometimes. Even altered to hide the truth to protect others."

"Reports are facts, Tim!"

"Reports are bullshit, Bishop!"

The rare choice of using an expletive by McGee caused Bishop to cringe. Realizing how heated the topic had become, she spoke in a much calmer tone, "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said", he scoffed. "Reports. Are. Bullshit! The 'facts' as you call them, are not always as they appear, Ellie. Case in point, eleven years ago, when Agent Caitlin Todd was killed— we tracked down her killer, Ziva's brother .. a rogue officer and terrorist named Ari Haswari. The guy was hell bent on taking all of us out to make Gibbs suffer and, ultimately, he wanted to kill Gibbs too. When the time came, Ari had Gibbs cornered in his basement; ready to kill him. But, instead, Ari took a bullet right in the head, same way Kate did ... Your precious reports that you believe so much as fact, are altered to say that Gibbs killed Ari. The REAL fact is that Ziva killed her own brother to save Gibbs."

"But ...", Bishop was momentarily stunned at the news. She took a moment to think then spoke again, Why would Gibbs falsify the report?"

"To protect Ziva, plain and simple."

Bishop ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, "That doesn't make sense. Why break protocol? Why lie about the facts? The killing was justified, no matter which one of them pulled the trigger."

"Because, Ellie, sometimes the real facts put you in more danger than the lies do."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with why you think Ziva is the woman on that voicemail. There's no way those reports were altered. There was no reason to do it."

"Ziva's life was in danger. Plus she had Tali, that's plenty of reason to lie about her death."

Bishop threw up her hands in partial defeat. "I don't get it!"

"It doesn't matter", his jaw clenched as the weight of what he was saying hit him hard. "There's no point in trying to explain it. You would have to know Ziva to understand."

"Understand what McGee?" Both agents looked to the entrance of the bullpen to see Gibbs had returned with his coffee.

McGee looked his boss dead in the eye, "You would have to know Ziva to understand why Tali made it out of that farmhouse alive."

"Explain", is all Gibbs said as he walked over to his agents.

"Ziva is fierce and strong. Just like you Boss, she's always two moves ahead of her opponent. It's nearly impossible to get the drop on her. She's a real life ninja. There is no way that Tali made it out of that farmhouse alive without Ziva making it happen. She's saved us countless times because she always looked beyond what was in front of her and knew when something was coming. You think that ability would decrease after having a baby? If anything, having Tali had to make Ziva more alert and vigilant. Tali got out because Ziva knew what was coming! You can't tell me she didn't have a plan of escape."

"Mhm", Gibbs mulled it over in his head. Secretly, he felt the same way too but he wasn't going to tell his senior field agent that. Not until he knew where McGee's head was completely. "So, why is relevant right now?"

"McGee thinks Ziva called him a little while ago and left a voicemail with only her crying into the phone. The woman never said a word but, apparently, he thinks he knows who it is by just the sound of her cries", Bishop blurted out.

"I don't think, I know", McGee huffed.

Gibbs face stayed neutral, as it was most of the time. His blue eyes locked onto McGee as he asked, "Been a long time. How do you know it's Ziva?"

"It may have been a rare occurrence Boss, but I have heard those cries before. Someone as strong as Ziva, who rarely showed sad emotions, you never forget what her cries sound like when she finally shatters. Never! The cries on my voicemail were the same cries I heard that night when she saw her father's dead body on the director's living room floor. That sound is embedded in my brain. There's no mistaking it. I know it's her, Boss."

"Tim", Bishop tried again. Still not comprehending how she wasn't able to get through to him and even more confused now that Gibbs seemed to be going along with it. "Please, don't do this to yourself. You can't believe that a dead woma ..."

"THEY NEVER FOUND HER BODY!"

The outburst made Bishop give up completely and strink into herself while Gibbs, on the other hand, showed a rare smirk and nodded his head. "He's right, Bishop."

"What!?"

"They never found her body", Gibbs voice was even and low. "And it's true, ya never forget that sound."

"Gibbs, you can't be serious right now."

"Oh, but I am." He looked at McGee who was staring down at his phone while trying to even out his breathing, "McGee!?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Trace the number she called you from. See if you can get a fix. Then try to track down DiNozzo. I know he's been off the grid for a while, but he'll wanna know about us looking into this again so we have to find him. Bishop, bring up the file we have on Ziva's death. Go through the photos again, and the videos. Pull up the reports on Farsoun and Kort. Get me some answers. I'll be up with Vance if you need me."

Bishop stood immobile for a moment as McGee started working and Gibbs turned to leave again. In a snap decision, she grabbed Gibbs wrist to stop him for some final clarity as she asked, "What kind of answers are we looking for exactly, Gibbs? Ziva's dead. I don't understand, why are you reopening this case?"

Gibbs looked at her with intensity as he pulled his wrist from her grasp. "Like McGee said, they never found Ziva's body. We don't know for sure. Mossad wasn't exactly clear on it. And I get that you don't understand. You don't know her, but Tim and I do. She was one of us. One of mine! My kid! McGee's sister! She moves differently, in ways you may never perceive." He echoed McGees earlier sentiments as he walked towards the stairs, "You don't need to understand, Bishop. Just follow orders and find her! Case doesn't close until we get a body. And, since we don't have one, case is still open! We're four months behind, so get to work!"

* * *

 **Ugh! I'm totally behind on school work but I just love this story so much! LoL**

 **Thanks for all the positive reviews thus far! Y'all rock! Best peeps ever!**

 **Welp, this time I'm really going to do homework ... I think. Haha! Later peeps!**

 **\- Chide**


	7. Emails & Traces

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter VII - Emails & Traces**

* * *

He wasn't sure of how many hours it had been but, Tony was thankful that it was over— for now. This was the third night in a row that Tali had cried herself to sleep, not wanting comfort from anyone or anything except her Ima . It was just hitting the six month mark of her being gone and, while she had been okay so far with just being with Abba, these last few days had proven that Tali desperately needed her mother.

Tony's heart kept breaking over and over. He was managing to get the hang of being a single dad but, truth be told, he wanted Tali's mother around too. Especially now that she was noticing Ziva's absence. Unfortunately, his quest for finding Ziva had become a challenge. Not that he wasn't trying hard but, being a single dad meant keeping up with his ever growing and hyperactive two year old. There really just wasn't any time to dig deep like he wanted to. He needed help— major help.

The thought crossed his mind on a few different occasions to reach out to his NCIS family back home, but then he would always dismiss it. Tony figured, since he had changed his number and dropped all communication after the third month, that they probably wouldn't be willing to help now. It was bridge he hadn't meant to burn but it happened in the wake of a moment of deep depression. They were a constant reminder of how life used to be and he was trying to move on. Now though, he wished he hadn't pushed them away.

But something in this moment, while looking down at his sleeping daughter's tear stained face, resurged his desire to reach out and ask for help. If not for him, than for Tali. She didn't deserve to have to cry herself to sleep every night in the anguish of not being able to understand why Ima was gone. If Ziva really was alive, like he believed she was, then Tali deserved to have her Ima. Sure, they might all think he was crazy for saying Ziva was alive after grieving her death for six months but, he knew if he was confident then they would follow his lead.

Deciding to see if he could gauge what their reactions towards him might be, he pulled out his laptop and signed in to an old email account. Before he stopped communication, that was the account where McGee and Abby reached out to him. Not knowing what to expect, he was floored when he saw that he had over 200 unread emails. The most recent of which had just been sent an hour ago by his former Probie.

Tony let out a deep sigh as he clicked on the newest email. With no subject title, he was sure it was probably just McGee ranting about his decision to cut his family off. He definitely wasn't expecting to see the exact opposite when the words popped up on the screen:

 _'Tony,_

 _Where are you? Are you okay? How's Tali? I really hope all is well._ _Look, we really need to talk. Last time I traced your cell you were in Tel Aviv, are you still there? Please respond._ _We've been trying to get ahold of you for two months now. I know you haven't opened my other emails, or Abby's, but hopefully you see this one. It's really important we talk to you._ _**We're STILL family!**_ _Please, just reach out._

 _\- Tim'_

And there is was, right at the end in big bold letters— 'We're STILL family'. Tony smiled as he realized his previous assumptions were wrong. They still cared. His family still cared. He made up in his mind at that moment to respond back to his surrogate little brother but was side tracked Tali's screaming cries. Taken aback by the sudden sound, he nearly sprang off his bed but recovered quickly and sat the laptop on the night stand.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay Talikins", he lifted the toddler off the bed and wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Abba's here baby girl. I got you." He stood and paced the floor, bouncing Tali as he did so to try and calm her. When the tears eventually subsided and the screams were dulled to a small whimper, he pulled her back slightly to look down at her face. "Did you have a bad dream princess?"

Tali just stared into his eyes and whimpered more. That was Tony's indicater that he was right. He sighed and clutched her tighter, "I'm sorry baby girl." He glanced over at his laptop with McGee's email still opened, "Guess the Probie's gonna have to wait a little while longer."

Walking back over to the bed, Tony sat leaning against the headboard with Tali still nestled into his chest. He reached over to the laptop with one hand and closed the email then opened the folder he had created for all the Disney princess movies he had downloaded for Tali. "How about we watch Mulan, my little warrior princess?"

Tony tickled her sides, eliciting a much needed giggle from Tali. Her eyes were bright again and her smile matched. Bad dreams forgotten for the moment as her view fixed to the opening scenes of her favorite movie. Tony was thankful, again. For the moment, he had won the epic battle of keeping Tali's mind off of the reality around her. He wasn't sure how long the moment would last as it got harder ever day, but he prayed while it did that he would be able to reach out to McGee and ask for the help he desperately needed.

 _As soon as she goes back to sleep, I'll call Probie. Hopefully he won't think I'm crazy when tell him what I need._

* * *

 **.**

* * *

"Okay, so we know Petty Officer Marks was last seen leaving the bar around 2300 then he walked straight up Main towards the deli", Bishop ran through case information for what seemed like the thousandth time. Their latest case, finding a missing petty officer, had given them all a headache from hitting dead end after dead end.

McGee clicked the remote to pull up a map on the plasma as he chimed in, "surveillance from outside the deli shows him walking by and crossing the street at the corner. Then we lose him right around ..."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!" If the sound of her voice didn't give her away, the thuds of heavy platform boots running towards them at full speed did.

McGee turned around just in time to brace for impact as Abby squeezed him in a bear hug. "Abs", he choked out, "can't ... breathe."

"Oh!" She let go with a giggle then jumped up and down. Her signature pigtails bouncing with her as she did so. "I'm just so excited!"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Excited about what", he asked from his seated position at his desk.

"I found him!"

"Ya tracked down my missing petty officer?"

"Nope!" Abby's smile grew wider, "I found someone better!"

McGee looked at her confused, "Abs, who's better to find than the petty officer we've been looking for for two weeks now?"

She smirked, "How about the former Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo we've been looking for for two months now!?"

"No way", McGee's face lit up. "You found Tony!?"

Bishop's face matched her partner's, "How? When?"

"That program Tim made to auto trace Tony if he ever read one of our emails worked! He just read Tim's last email about an hour ago! He didn't respond, but at least he read it! When I came back from court there was a notification on my computer. I almost didn't notice it because I was so drained from having to wear the monkey suite all day. Seriously, I hate that stupid suite! Ugh! And then those awful shoes! How is it even legal to make those and expect women to wear them? They're so uncomfortable and ..."

"ABBY!" All three agents yelled in unison to stop her ramble.

"Get to the point, Abs", Gibbs said in more even tone.

"Right, sorry. So, when I was changing my clothes I heard the reminder chime to open the trace results but I ignored it because it sounds just like the same beeping Major Mass Spec has been doing all week. But then I realized it was coming from inside my office and not the lab so I looked at my computer and there it was, Tony's location!"

Gibbs stood up, now as fully excited as his team was, but of course he didn't show it on his face. He smoothly walked over to her and stared intently, "You got a fix on Tony?"

"Yup!" Abby briefly went over to McGee's computer and, at warp speed, typed away at the keyboard until a photo and a map of Tel Aviv popped up on the screen. She came back to the group and took the clicker remote from McGee's hand as she began explaining, "Tony used a laptop with an unsecured WiFi signal. The program Tim made accurately traced the signal to some pretty swanky apartments in Tel Aviv called The Jaffa Residences. I double checked the IP address and it links to a network setup for residents living at those apartments."

"Are you absolutely sure he's living there Abby?"

"One hundred percent, Gibbs. I did some further 'snooping' and Suite 406 is rented to one Tony DiNozzo! It's him! We found Tony!"

"What happens now?" Although she had been following orders since the voicemail incident two months ago, Bishop knew that tracking down Tony meant that the focus on finding a woman she still believed to be dead would be increased again. It worried her that the entire team had been working on the side investigation. Even Vance had gotten involved with contacting Orli at Mossad to help aide the search. It seemed everyone was on the same page except her. It was a bit frustrating, but she knew better now than to voice her opinion. It was a loosing battle. Especially against the three people standing next to her. Still, she had to ask, "We know where Tony is so does that mean we tell him about the Ziva investigation? He hasn't even answered McGee's email, what if he doesn't want to hear what we have to say?"

"It's about Ziva still being alive", Abby stated incredulously as she got in Bishop's face. "Of course he's going to want to know! How could you even think anything other than that? He's in love with her! They have a daughter! Tony would do anything to have Ziva back! Especially now! Don't doubt him!"

"I'm not doubting anything, I'm only saying ..."

"Say nothing", Gibbs interrupted sternly as he look between both women to make them back away from each other. When they moved, he answered the immediate question running on all their minds, "What happens now is that McGee and Abby fly out to Tel Aviv to see Tony. Something this sensitive does not get said over the phone or in an email. He'll need the support of his two best friends, that's why I'm sending you two. You be gentle but firm, explain everything we've found so far and what Vance got from Mossad. Bishop and I will stay here to keep working Ziva's case from this end and I'll get Vance to pass off the current caseload with Petty Officer Marks to another team."

"How are you going to get Vance to approve all of this, Boss?" McGee was excited but still knew there was a chance that the director would deter Gibbs from making this kind of call.

Gibbs was confident though, "Already ran this plan by Vance two months ago when I went to speak with after Ziva called you. Covered all the bases for whenever we found DiNozzo or Ziva. It's already approved."

Abby hugged Gibbs, "Oh this is so great! We get to go to Tel Aviv! I can't wait to see Tony and little Tali! Oh I have to buy my niece some pink skull t-shirts and dresses! And we get to help Tony get the love of his life back! I'm so excited! I have to go home and pack!" Before anyone else could say anything, Abby ran off towards the elevators and got on just as the doors were closing.

McGee chuckled, "Guess I'll go home and pack too. I'll book the ticket from there. Should I email Tony again to tell him we're coming? He may not look at it."

Gibbs nodded, "Do it anyway. Just in case. And be safe Tim, take care of Abby, and keep DiNozzo level when you tell him. Alright?"

"Yes, Boss. I'll call you tomorrow sometime, when get to Tel Aviv." With a pat on the shoulder from Gibbs, McGee grabbed his things and went to the elevator. His smile speaking of the overwhelming sense of hope that surged through his body. As the elevator descended, he couldn't help but thing about the joy that it would be to have his family back together. To have his big brother, and his new niece, reunited with Ziva. He vowed to himself in that moment to track down the woman that had become his sister at all costs. There was no doubt in his mind anymore that she was still alive.

 _Wherever you are Ziva, stay safe. And don't worry Tony, we're gonna find her— together._

* * *

 ***SPOILER ALERT***

 **Next chapter is titled: "Reunions & Leads"**

 **Okay, so maybe it's not a juicy spoiler but, can y'all guess what's coming?**

 **LoL! You'll see tomorrow! Until then, later peeps!**

 **\- Chide**


	8. Reunions & Leads

**A|N: Just trust my creative process peeps.**

 **\- Chide**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter VIII - Reunions & Leads**

* * *

"My friend, what's on your mind?" Paza looked at Ziva curiously after she stopped speaking mid sentence and stared off into space.

Ziva returned her gaze back to her friend after a moment. "Something feels different."

"What do you mean?"

"Something familiar. Like Tony is getting close."

Paza smiled, "This is good, is it not?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you look so down?"

Ziva shook her head, "I do not know. Maybe it is because I have felt this before but it did not turn in my favor."

"Are you sure you don't want to try to call your friend again? He may be able to give Tony a message and even verify if he has Tali."

"I am sure McGee does not wish to speak to me or he would have answered two months ago."

"I still think you should have left a message."

"And said what?" She shook her head again, "by the time the line started ringing, I was a crying mess. He would not have understood what I was saying anyway and would have hung up thinking it was a misdial from some crazy woman."

Paza rolled her eyes, "Really? A misdial from a Paris area code to a Washington, DC number? I do not know this McGee, but I'm sure he can't be that dense. You should try again or, better yet, come to Mossad."

"If you are tired of me being here then I can go back to Paris and stay there."

"That isn't what I'm saying, Ziva. It's just, we haven't gotten anywhere with trying to track Tony and he is not having luck finding you. Then, I am still having issues with getting information about whether or not a threat still exi ..."

"Is Orli still running a covert investigation?"

"From what I have heard, yes. Why does that matter?"

"If she is still investigating then there is still a threat. It's been six months, if the threat was gone, she would have stopped looking into it."

Paza sighed, "You confuse me. Why stay hidden if Mossad can protect you?"

"You did not see that fire up close, Paza! Had Tali and I not been running behind schedule, we would both actually be dead!" She stood up and started pacing as tears sprang from her eyes. "Mossad could not protect us, even after I basically told Orli there was an attack coming!"

"Ziva", her friend remained calm, "if you do not trust Mossad, why leave Tali behind for Orli to take her?"

"Because ... I could not protect Tali either." The admission was barely audible as Ziva stopped in her tracks and looked down in shame. "When the mortar hit, we had just gone back into Tali's bedroom to get her Kalev. I had left her in the living room, right at the point of impact. Had she not followed behind me ...". She paused to take a deep breath and try to remove the mental image of what could have happened that day.

After a few moments, she continued, "I made a snap decision when a realized what was actually going on. Immediately, I knew the only way to keep Tali safe was to have enough faith that Orli would get my baby to her father. Tony has so many people in DC to help him and keep our daughter safe. It was a mistake to not tell him about her before, but ... I have to believe he has her now and is trying to make things right."

"Ziva ..."

"I have to believe", she repeated robotically. "It is all I have left."

"You're stressed. Deeply on edge. Sleep deprived. Maybe even emotionally unstable ..."

Ziva's head shot up. "Do you really want to go there with me", she hissed through her tears.

"I'm speaking honestly", Paza responded boldly. "I would not be your friend if I didn't tell you the truth. This is ridiculous, Ziva! This irrational fear of yours has you losing it. One minute you are hopeful and then you are hopeless the next. It isn't good for you to keep going on not knowing. Either you go to Mossad or you call your friend at NCIS ... if not, I will decide for you."

* * *

 **.**

* * *

Abby and McGee had arrived to Tony's the next evening. After exchanging pleasantries and having dinner, the tension in the room could be cut like a knife. They sat in silence for the better part of the night, just watching Tali play until she finally wore herself out and fell asleep. Tony put her in her bed and returned to the living room. He was ready to say what he needed and ready to hear what they had to say.

"Okay, so let's kill this weird vibe in the air", he scratched his head nervously. "Although, what I want to tell you guys might come off pretty weird."

Abby raised an eyebrow, "Weird is sometimes good, Tony. And what we have to say is a good weird."

"Who goes first then?"

"Maybe we should go first", McGee chimed in. Tony shrugged and motioned for either of them to speak so McGee continued, "We reopened the case on Ziva. Vance has been in contact with Orli and had all of Mossad's files concerning the attack sent to us. We started ..."

"Looking for her?" Both friends looked at Tony who seemed to be unfazed by the news. Tony noticed the surprised look on their faces and spoke, "I've been trying to look for her too. Unfortunately, I don't have the right computer skills or resources. That's why I was going to reach out to you."

"So, you know she's alive?" Abby asked just above a whisper.

"I wasn't sure completely, but Ziva left me a classified file in her will to point me in the right direction. It's just hard deciphering some things. I guess she figured I'd still have the resources of NCIS at my disposal."

McGee furrowed his brow, "Tony, why didn't you say anything before?"

"Truthfully, I've been kinda scared of being wrong and scared of putting my daughter through chasing a proverbial ghost. Tali needs stability, so I can't just run her around every where trying to find leads. Her life's been shaken up enough with Ziva going into hiding. I don't want to go anywhere else with Tali until I'm sure that that place is where Ziva is. I just need to figure out where then we can pack up and go."

"Despite being scared, you sound really confident that you can find Ziva", Abby pointed out. "Have you made any progress at all?"

Tony shook his head, "A little, but not much. I've been ... Wait, why do you guys think Ziva's alive?"

"She um ... she called me two months ago but I missed the call." McGee admitted, "I tried to trace it. The number was a Paris number but the back trace didn't lock onto where the call came from specifically before the phone was disconnected. We narrowed it down to five places."

"And how do you know it was her if you missed the call?" He was sceptical but hopeful.

"Voicemail. She didn't say anything, but I heard her crying. She sounded really broken and in pain."

Tony let out a deep sigh as his heart rate sped up. He tried to keep control of his breathing as he spoke again, "I shouldn't have changed my number. She probably tried to reach out. She has to be scared."

"We'll find her Tony", Abby reassured.

"Yeah, we're here now. We can help", McGee added. "Just show us what she left you."

"One sec", Tony quickly went to his room to get the diamonds, classified file, and his laptop. When he returned, he put everything on the coffe table and explained, "I found the two diamonds in Tali's sweater, it was a clue. The file has a letter from Ziva and some papers with account numbers and diamond dealers."

"How are we supposed to track her from this?"

"Remember how she figured out Bodnar would be going to Berlin? We have to follow the diamonds and money transactions. Only thing is, I can't seem to figure out exactly how to pin point her location."

"We started trying to trace her accounts after the phone trace didn't pan out", McGee said, "But there's been no activity."

"That's because you're not looking at the right accounts." Tony pointed to one of the papers on the table, "All those accounts are offshore. I managed to narrow down three with activity but then that's when it get's confusing."

"How so", Abby asked.

"Look", Tony opened his laptop and pulled up the screen that showed one the accounts. "She pulls money from this one at the beginning of the month then returns it back within a seven day window. During the time the money is out of the account, I can't see where it goes but I do see a spike in dealer activity. Only problem, I can't pin point which dealer is associated with the account."

Abby looked at the transactions, "Did you notice there was a withdrawal that didn't go back into the account?"

He nodded and changed to another screen, "It went from that account to this one. It's been sitting there in Switzerland for a month."

"Do you think she settled in Switzerland then? If it hasn't moved, then maybe she's there."

"Doubt it, she would be using the money."

McGee pointed at another document, "This page here, it's a receipt copy from a hotel. The name looks familiar."

"Yeah it should, check the date, that's from when Ziva and I were in Berlin. That's where we stayed. I already called the hotel and checked for her name under the alias she used for the accounts. I think it was just a clue to remind me about how she tracked Bodnar."

"Maybe she's in DC", Abby shrugged. "Remember how Bodnar sent you on a wild goose chase? You got the wrong Bodnar in Berlin. It was Ilan's little brother. While Ilan had you and all the rest of the alphabet soup going all over the word, he was laying low in DC the whole time. Ziva could be doing the same thing."

"Come on Abs, why would she do that? Especially if she's trying to hide. Ziva wouldn't go back to DC."

"How can you be sure?"

"She may be hiding, but she's also trying to keep us safe. She told Orli that if anything ever happened to her, to bring Tali to me in DC. Ziva has to assume I'm still in DC and will remain there until I can come find her. She wants me to find her but, the way her note reads, she's far from DC. She told me to come save her. I don't think she would send me all over the world. She has to be in one spot. I just need to narrow it down."

"Alright, let's narrow it down then. The three active accounts are where?"

"Switzerland, Germany, and Panama."

"Germany? And you don't think she's in Berlin", McGee inquired. "Maybe she's using a different alias, Tony. We all have multiple aliases. Maybe she made a new one after leaving NCIS. Remember, she's faking her death, I doubt she'd be walking around using one of her old ones if she thinks someone is still out to get her."

"The alias on the accounts is new."

"Okay. Then maybe she isn't staying at the same hotel. Maybe there's another hotel she could have checked into. If she prepared this file before the attack then maybe the clue is that she'll be in Berlin."

"It's possible, but she also said she couldn't say where she was going which means she probably wouldn't leave a clue so obvious as to where she'd be. If that was the case, I wouldn't need to follow the diamonds and transactions."

"You've lost your touch as an investigator, Tony. This is a solid lead. Everything points to Berlin. The hotel receipt. The account. Even my trace on her cell, one of the locations we narrowed it down to was Germany."

"Fine", Tony huffed, "let's say you're right. How do we verify she's there? What, call every hotel?"

"Or we run background of the list of dealers, see which one is in Berlin", Abby offered. "You don't have the access to run background checks anymore from your laptop, but I can run it from mine."

"And I can run a check on Ziva's alias against hotel reservations", McGee added.

"Huh", Tony let out a small chuckle, "Maybe I should have called you guys sooner. Seems I've been overlooking the obvious and a little off my game."

"It's okay, we understand", McGee assured as he pulled out his laptop from his backpack.

"And you've done a lot more than you give yourself credit for, Tony. This is good work for little resources."

Tony yawned, "thanks, now what else can I do to help?"

"Get some sleep and then maybe go shave", McGee answered firmly. "I didn't want to say anything, but you look like hell."

"Hey, don't knock the beard McBabyFace! This rugged thing looks good on me", he lightly joked. And for the first time that night, they all genuinely laughed. It felt a little like old times. The only thing missing was Ziva. But, they all sensed that she'd be back in the fold soon. With new determination and focus, they'd find her. It was only a matter of time.

They're happy moment, however, was interrupted a few seconds later by a banging on the front door. Tony looked towards it suspiciously as they all immediately got quiet, "Was someone else supposed to be coming with you guys?"

"No", McGee answered as he stood up. "Maybe it's a neighbor."

"My neighbors don't bang like that, they knock politely." He turned to Abby and whispered, "Go to Tali's room and lock the door. Don't come out until I say so."

Abby quickly followed the instruction as McGee pulled his sig and his backup from his bag. He handed the backup to Tony just as the banging started again. They walked over to the door and Tony looked through the peephole but it was covered. He motioned for McGee to ready himself. After receiving a nod, Tony unlocked the door and pulled it open. Their drawn weapons lowered as soon as they realized who was on the other side.

* * *

"Orli, what the hell!?" Tony shouted angrily, "Tell your goons not to bang like that! We almost shot you!"

"Thank you for showing restraint then", Orli responded as she strolled into the apartment without waiting for an invitation to come in. "My goons, as you call them, will stay outside. You may close the door."

Tony rolled his eyes and slammed the door, "why are you here?"

"We will get to that in a moment. First, you should put the weapons away." She looked pointedly between the two men. "It is good to see you, by the way, Agent McGee."

McGee shook his head and took his backup from Tony, "I'll go get Abby."

"Ah, Ms. Sciuto is here as well?"

"They came to help me track down Ziva. Now, why are you here at this hour?"

"One moment, it is better that Agent McGee and Ms. Sciuto hear this as well." After a few minutes, McGee returned with Abby and Orli gestured for them all to sit. "It seems we have come to find a problem."

"If this is about NCIS being here to ..." McGee stopped when Orli waved her hand dismissively.

"I am well aware why you are here Agent McGee. Your director failed to mention that Ms. Sciuto would be joining you but it is fine."

"Then what's the problem", Tony asked aggressively.

"I got information from one of my officers, Ziva was in the country."

Shock hit them as silence fell over the room. Time stood still for a moment until Tony finally registered what Orli had said, "what do you mean was? Are you telling me Ziva has been in Israel this whole time!?"

"Tony, lower your voi ..."

"Answer the question!"

Orli sighed, "According to Officer Belsam, Ziva has been hiding at her house on and off since the attack. When she is not in Israel, she has been staying in Paris. So, technically, she has not been here the entire time. Apparently, Ziva left yesterday evening after she and Officer Belsam had a falling out. My officer wanted Ziva to come to Mossad and inform me that she was alive but she said that Ziva has been acting irrationally out of fear of still being a target. She fled in the middle of the night in fear that Officer Belsam would force her to come to me or contact NCIS."

"Why would Ziva run, again?"

"Unfortunately, she chose to confide in an officer who is not on the need to know list concerning the information that you have Tali and are living here. Officer Belsam does not have such clearances to be privy to any information concerning the attack or your whereabouts. Meaning, she is not one of the people who know that Trent Kort was behind the attacks and that you have already eliminated him. According to her, Ziva still feels she is a target until you find her, Tony. She does not trust anyone else. That includes Officer Belsam now as well."

"Wait", McGee interrupted, "You said Ziva left last night, why are just now coming to tell Tony?"

"I am a busy woman, Agent McGee. I was not free to speak with Paza until this evening. I came shortly after meeting with her."

"Couldn't your officer just trace Tony like we did? His name is on the lease, she could have easily found him and brought Ziva here."

Orli chuckled, "Ms. Sciuto, you and I both know that the way you tracked down Tony was not at all legal."

"Since when does Mossad care about what's legal?"

"You may have a point", Orli partly agreed. "However, Officer Belsam does not have the same skills you do at looking into private information such as lease holders in this type of high profile residence. And, as per Ziva's request, she did not go to another officer who could. We have all wasted valuable trying to go around legalities instead of just being honest with one another. Even you did not have to go through the extents you did to find Tony."

"Right", Abby scoffed, "Like you would have told us where Tony was!"

"Actually yes, if I knew you were coming to assist him, I would have. Had your director told me months ago that you were looking for Tony, instead of giving me some story about wanting to have copies of my files on the attack just to add to your casefile on Kort, then I would have simply told him that Tony was here. Needless to say, we have all made poor choices in judgement. Myself included. Now, we must pool our resources and get Ziva back."

McGee rubbed his temples and sighed, "You mentioned Paris, did she go back there?"

"I had my people check all flights that left between last night and this morning, there were no tickets booked under the alias she was using to travel. I have requested video surveillance to have it checked to see if she went but used another alias."

"I've been tracking Ziva since I left your office that day", Tony spoke up. "We just realized that all leads point to Berlin, but if she was here then we were wrong ... the alias you checked, was it 'Chaya Drobin'?"

Orli looked surprised, "No, but I know that name, where did you come up with that?"

"The file you gave me, it had account numbers. When I finally accessed them, that was the name she used for them. How do you know the name?"

"Eli ... before he and his wife split up, he had me backstop an alias for Rivka, including passports and other documentation. It was just a precaution in case anything ever happened. That was the name he gave me to use. I assumed he destroyed the information after the divorce, or definitely after Rivka passed. My assumptions must have been wrong if Ziva is using the alias now."

"Welp, you what they about when you assume", Tony snarked, "makes an ASS out of 'u' and 'me'!"

"Now is not the time to be sarcastic!"

"No, Orli! I think now is the perfect time! I'm tired of ..." He paused as Tali's cries rang out through the apartment. "Great", he sighed, "Every time Mossad is around, my daughter cries!" Tony stood from his seat but Abby stopped him.

"I'll get her back to sleep, just deal with whatever this is." Tony tried to protest but she cute him off again, "I've got her. Don't worry." Without another word she headed towards Tali's room.

After waiting to hear that Tali had stopped crying, Tony turned and glared at Orli. "You have eyes all over the world", he spoke through gritted teeth, "how have your people not seen her on your surveillance?"

"The same way we did not see her over three years ago when you figured out she was at the hospital. We simply were not looking in the right direction. Officer Belsam's home is outside of Tel Aviv, we do not exactly go looking in the countryside unless we feel there is a need. Nothing on our radar pointed in that direction."

"I wanna talk to that officer."

"She does not know anything."

Tony shook his head incredulously, "There it is! Mossad protecting its own! This woman has been harboring Ziva and now sunddenly she knows nothing!? I beg to differ! She knows plenty!"

"Tony, I have already questioned her. Ziva left everything behind. She does not want Officer Belsam involved anymore. She sees her as an enemy now too. We have to go about this a different way. Trust me, I want Ziva back as much as you do ..."

"Doubt it", McGee stated as he stood beside Tony. "NCIS has an official investigation open on tracking down Ziva David. Your officer is a material witness in the case since she was the last person to see our missing person. You, Director Elbaz, are now interfering with our investigation. Now, either you can continue to interfere and cause an international incident, or you can cooperate and set up a meeting with your officer. We can even speak here if you don't want all of Mossad knowing. Your call."

Orli smirked, "Well played Agent McGee. As you wish, I will personally bring Officer Belsam to you in the morning. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, we get full access to your database and recourses to help us track Ziva."

"Is that all?"

"No", Tony spoke, "I need the David jet fueled and on standby by 0900 on Sunday."

"And may I ask where you are going?"

"Somewhere I promised Tali I'd take her before we left DC. My daughter deserves a break from Israel. This place only seems to upset her. She needs a vacation and Christmas is in two weeks, no better time to go away."

"I believe we're done here Director Elbaz." McGee walked to the door and opened it. Orli nodded and made her exit. When the door closed, he checked the peephole and watched the Mossad operatives follow her down the hall and onto the elevator then he turned around, "I know what you're already thinking Tony."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You're thinking about Paris." The slight nod told McGee he was right. "Okay, but Sunday is three days from now. Ziva already has a head start if she left yesterday, how are you going to track her?"

"Same way we just did before Orli showed up and I'm not leaving Sunday, you are."

"What?"

"We'll work through tonight. Run the background checks for Berlin and Paris then pin post not dealers and hotels. You'll go to Berlin on Sunday and I'll take Tali to Paris tomorrow after we talk to the officer. If Ziva has been going back and forth between here and there, then maybe she's going back long enough to plan her next move. She's operating under fear right now, which means she's not thinking clearly. We play it to our advantage."

"So you think she'll make a mistake now?"

"I'm betting on it. With her supposed friend out of the picture, Ziva really is alone. She doesn't do well alone and scared. Maybe you were right, she could have been pointing ahead. So Berlin could possibly be the next stop. We just need to look deeper. Find a pattern then ..."

"Find the hiccup in the pattern", McGee understood as he walked back over to his laptop.

"Exactly. So, let's find the pin in the haystack."

"Needle", McGee corrected.

Tony looked at him puzzled, "what?"

McGee chuckled, "You did that Ziva thing. Messing up the idiom. You said 'pin', it's 'needle'."

"Oh", Tony scratched his head, "Guess I've got Ziva too much in the brain."

"That's a good thing. Keep your mind focused on her." He smiled at his best friend then looked across the table, "Now, pass me Abby's laptop, let's start running these checks."

"Sure, and after we get that started we call Gibbs. Can't leave the boss man out of what's going on."

McGee slapped his forehead, "Right, I was suppose to call in with a sit rep as soon I told you about the investigation."

"Now who's losing their touch Probie?"

"Hey, it was a long flight and an even longer night", he joked. "Just help me with this, sheesh!"

* * *

 **So, my apologies in the delay. I hope making this a long chapter made up for it ...**

 **And, also, the fact that I'm posting back to back updates.**

 **Anyhoo, caught up on most of my school work, in case y'all where wondering where I was. LoL**

 **Enjoy the other updates!**

 **\- Chide**


	9. Understandings & Patterns

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter IX - Understandings & Patterns**

* * *

"Ya coming down Bishop, or ya just gonna stand up there and make me keep yellin?" Gibbs called out while measuring a piece of wood for his latest boat project.

Bishop sighed as she made her way into Gibbs' basement, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know exactly who's standing there without turning around?"

Gibbs just chuckled and shrugged, eventually turning to face her and give a pointed look.

Bishop nodded, "Right, you're Gibbs."

"Mhm", he grunted as he gesture for her to sit on the empty stool then went back to his work. "So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing", she responded all too quickly and very unconvincingly.

Gibbs turned his head slightly with a raised eyebrow but he didn't say anything. The look was enough for Bishop to know she needed to tell the truth.

"Okay, so it's not exactly nothing or else I wouldn't be in your basement right now." She rubbed her forehead and let out a frustrated sigh, "Gibbs, truthfully, I'm having trouble getting behind this case and giving it my all. I mean, I really want to but it's hard because the reports say ..."

"That Ziva died in the fire", he interrupted knowingly. "I get it. I was sceptical too."

"And why aren't you sceptical now?"

Gibbs sighed and stood up straight. Putting the ruler and pencil down, he walked over to his work bench and sat down. Once facing Bishop, he explain, "Because of McGee. He rarely gets passionate about something, and the way he boasted confidence about that call, I trusted his gut."

"But what does your gut say?"

"To trust McGee's gut", he shrugged. "And to trust DiNozzo's as well. They both had the same feeling at different points and, truth be told, so did I after what Tony said to me before he left this basement six months ago."

Bishop looked puzzled, "Exactly what did he say?"

"'You gotta believe what you gotta believe' ... I taught him that. To go against what's present before you when your gut doesn't agree with the situation in front of you. While we all focused on grieving Ziva, after killing Kort, Tony focused on getting answers to find her. He didn't say it outright, but I knew that look in his eyes. He only gets it when it comes to her."

"But, isn't it possible that he was just in denial? That is a stage of grief."

"Possible but not probable."

She shook her head, "I don't understand."

"Tony and Ziva, they have this connection that I can't even begin to explain. I never told them, but I knew very early on that eventually I'd have to throw Rule #12 out the window for them. It's impossible to keep them apart. You can try, but they always end up pulling right back together."

"Like magnets ..."

Gibbs chuckled, "exactly like magnets."

Bishop thought for a moment then something hit her, "So, what you're saying is that Tony would instinctively know if Ziva was really dead because he'd no longer feel the pull?" Gibbs nodded quietly, he knew there was more she had to say as he saw the wheels still turning in her head.

After a few more moments of silence, Bishop continued, "The initial reports devastated him. His mind was clouded between the loss, Tali being brought here, and then tracking Kort. But then, his head got clear after killing Kort. With a clear head, he could listen to his and feel the pull again."

"Now you're getting it... what else is that brain of yours sayin?"

"The connection between Ziva and Tim— the brother and sister bond, that's why Tim can't let it go either? He remembers everything because of that familial. It's weird but somehow makes sense."

"Mhm, there's something you haven't been able to fully experience yet, that bond. I don't doubt that it'll come in its own time. Ya just gotta keep ..."

"Following orders?"

Gibbs shook his head, "No. You have to keep being fully present and trusting in this team. Things don't always make sense but, we're a family. We don't doubt each other because eventually, some how or another, the crazy ideas usually work out"

"And when they don't work out? What happens then?"

"We come even closer and hold each other up. We pick up the pieces together and start over. It's what we do. It's what we've always done. You just have to trust us."

"I trust all of you", Bishop said quietly, looking down at her fidgeting hands.

"But?"

She sighed, "But I'm still learning, I guess. I thought I knew my place here, now it feels like I don't."

"Why's that?"

"I guess its just hard to feel like I fit in with this case. You know me Gibbs, I stick to facts. I follow protocol. It's my nature. Guess I lack the 'gut'."

"You don't lack anything. You just stick to what you know to be true through what's given to you. Try thinking in a different way."

"Like, think about how it could be possible the reports are wrong?"

"Yeah, walk yourself through it ... as if you were in Ziva's shoes."

"Okay", Bishop thought for a moment. "I guess if I was Ziva, knowing of a possible threat, I'd come to you and seek help."

"But you haven't spoken to me in three years and I'm half way around the world now. Plus, you have a baby to think about too, so you're more scared than you would be if you were by yourself because you know you might not be able to protect you and your baby. Not to mention, you don't exactly know what the threat is or who is behind it. What do you do then?"

"Put myself in harmsway and make sure my baby gets out safe."

Gibbs nodded, "You said that without thinking, why?"

"Instinct. Protect the innocent life."

"Mhm."

"So, Ziva makes sure Tali is somewhere safe ... Like with Tony ... then fakes her own death, why?"

"Simple, she knows Tony will avenge her."

"Okay, but Tony did avenge her but she's still hiding. Why not come out now? Why leave McGee a voicemail just crying instead of saying something."

"Did we broadcast taking out Kort? Or did Mossad broadcast that they found the person behind the farmhouse attack?"

"No."

"So then Ziva doesn't know ..."

Bishop sighed as everything started making complete sense, "She still thinks it's not safe to come out and calling McGee was ... I don't know ... maybe a rare moment of weakness, trying to get answers. But, when he didn't answer she may have felt hopeless. She's out there alone and scared. Not just for her life, but for Tony and Tali."

"Mhm."

"Gibbs, how do we find her?"

"We ..." The ringing of his cell cut their conversation. He looked at the caller ID and answered, "McGee, did ya talk to Tony yet?"

 _"Boss, it's Tony and, yeah, Probie told me everything. My bad for going MIA but glad we're all on the same page again. We, uh, have some new developments though. Are you at the Navy Yard? An MTAC call would be cool right now."_

"Nope, ya caught me in my basement. It's as good a SCIF as any. Bishop's here, puttin' ya on speaker ... Go'head DiNozzo, what're these new developments?"

Tony took the next 30 minutes explaining everything he'd been up to and what they'd found out about Ziva through Orli. He ran the idea of McGee going to Berlin and him going to Paris by Gibbs, immediately getting his approval. They spoke about their angle of attack for their meeting with the Mossad officer the next day and bounced around ideas. Ultimately, they formed a plan on how they'd move forward on their search and delegated tasks that played to each of their strengths.

When they ended the call, Bishop jumped up with purpose, "I'm going to go grab dinner and head back to the Navy Yard. You were right Gibbs, I'm sorry I didn't get it before but I do now. Ziva really is alive! This is ... amazing!" Her face turned to one of determination as she continued, "She may have slipped away, but we'll find her. For Tony and Tali, we have to, right? She's family."

Gibbs smiled and nodded, "Damn right!"

* * *

 **.**

* * *

Five and half months later, almost nothing had changed. The case had started to run cold for a while. After leaving Israel, Ziva had stopped all account activity. There were no transactions or spikes in dealer activity for over two months. Then, eventually, it had taken the entire team by surprise when some activity started back up again. With new activity came new leads and McGee started traveled constantly within the last three months

Tony had returned to DC with Tali after spending a few months in Paris and finding no luck. Although he hadn't returned as an agent, he stopped in frequently to check on the case and give updates on some new lead he'd found. Sometimes he'd travel with McGee but, mostly he stayed behind so that Tali wouldn't have to keep getting shuffled around while he was away. Like today, for intense, he was sitting at his old desk playing with Tali and having light conversation with Gibbs while they waited on news from McGee's latest trip following a lead in Switzerland.

When Bishop returned the bullpen with a face that matched her defeated demeanor, her heaviness didn't go unnoticed by Tony or Gibbs as she sat in her chair and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Problem Bishop?" Gibbs asked as he stared at her.

The young agent looked up, "McGee just called while I was in Abby's lab. He hit another dead end in Switzerland."

"Well that's not the news I wanted", Tony said sarcastically.

Gibbs looked at him,"Not what any of us wanted but you know who is good at hiding and misdirection." For the sake of Tali being around, the all resorted to saying 'you know who' instead of saying 'Ziva'. At this point, any time the little girl heard her mother's name she started screaming for her. They had all learned to naturally make the shift in Tali's presence.

"Gibbs", Bishop's tone was nervous, "can I ask you something?"

"Go'head."

Bishop shifted in her seat as she tried to put the words together in her head. After a few moments, she spoke again, "Ever since we got the confirmation that you know know is alive, it's been even harder to track her. I've been thinking, what if we don't find her?"

"Hey", Tony almost shouted but quickly calmed himself when Tali knocked him on the head and giggled. He let out a deep breath, "We WILL find her. No bad thoughts, Bishop, alright? Especially in front of the kid."

"You losing faith again?" Gibbs asked.

"No", she shook her head adamantly. "I just thought it would be easier now, you know? But her movements have been so irratic since she came back online that there's no way to accurately follow her pattern ... I was actually thinking of something that might help but I'm not sure it will work. It's just a theory."

"We're listening."

Bishop stood and walked to the plasma, clicking it on to show the all too familiar screen of their progress, or lack their of, in finding Ziva. She pointed to the accounts, "what if we empty all of these or, at the least, freeze them?"

"Why do that?"

"To change the pattern and slow her down. My theory is that, if she can't access the accounts then it will either force her to go open a new one or make contact with the current banks to rectify the problem. Either way, it opens her up for a direct trace. She wouldn't be able to do things online anymore, she'd have to come out."

Gibbs leaned forward, "that just might work. We'd need a subpoena to freeze them. How ya plannin' on a getting a judge to sign off?"

"We get Vance to call in a favor" she shrugged. "He's been letting us use every resource so far, why not ask one more favor?"

"Because his patience in wearing thin."

"It's always wearing thin", Tony chuckled as he stood up and sat Tali down in his chair. He walked over to where Bishop stood facing Gibbs, "Come on Boss, it's worth a shot. This change the pattern idea is the best any of us have had in months. I don't know why none of us came up with it before. Ellie could be a genius here! If we do this, and it works, we can get an accurate trace, then force you know who to follow the new pattern that we set to pin point her."

"Okay", Gibbs stood and headed towards the steps. "Bishop, since this is your plan, you're the one who's askin' Vance to call in that favor. So, come on!"

* * *

Although it took longer than they wanted it to, the team was ecstatic when Vance had finally come through a few days later with the subpoenas to freeze Ziva's accounts. All the banks were notified and immediately took action after receiving the copies. It took another week before they finally saw any signs of their plan actually working. Bishop's eyes grew wide when she looked at her laptop and noticed the activity.

"Uh, guys, I think I got something."

"What is it", Gibbs asked as everyone looked towards Bishop. They were at his house working the case. Opting to spend their Saturday working as long as it was in the comfort of Gibbs' home and there would be beer and steaks.

Bishop turned the laptop to the group. "New account is pending at a French Bank known to be considered offshore."

"Where in France", Tony asked.

"Paris. Looks like she went back."

"Is it under the same alias?"

"No, but it's a name we know. It's under Tali's name."

Tali ran from the living room to the dining room after hearing her name. "Yes Ellie?"

"Oh sorry", Bishop chuckled as she looked from Tali to Tony.

Tony gave her look that it was okay then looked at his daughter, "Go play Talikins. Ellie didn't mean to call you, okay? You can go back."

"M'kay abba!"

After Tony could see that Tali was focused on her dolls again, he turned his attention back to the group. "What do you mean it's under her name?"

"Not exactly hers, but close enough." Bishop pointed to the name on the account that read: 'Talia David'. "It has to be you know who, right? I mean, there's no way this is a coincidence."

"I agree", McGee said as he pulled out his phone. "We need verification. I'll get in touch with the bank. If this just came up then you know who has to still be there. I'll step outside so the little one doesn't hear the name again."

Tony raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. Gibbs reached and put his hand on his shoulder, "You good, DiNozzo?"

"Nervous, Boss. This could finally be her."

Gibbs nodded knowingly. "How do you wanna play this if it is?"

"This idea was Bishop's baby." He looked at the younger agent, "I'll follow your lead."

"No, Tony." She shook her head. "It may have been my idea but this your search. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Follow the money. Run interference if she moves too much. Set a pattern. Keep her immobile. We can't let this account flip us around like the others did."

A notification chime went off on the laptop. "Well, it's up now. We must be ..."

"We're verified and she's cleared. Account should be live now", McGee announced as he came back in and sat.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Tim", Bishop chuckled. "I just got the notification."

"So, it's really her? We're sure?" They could tell Tony was anxious by his tone. He started fidgeting with a pen on the table until McGee spoke again.

"I'll know in just second, the branch manager is emailing the passport photo."

"How's he know for sure you're a government agent and not some scammer?"

McGee let out a small laugh, "The wonders of modern technology and video calls, Boss. I keep telling you that you need to upgrade your phone."

"I'm good", Gibbs responded gruffly.

"Anyway, I just had to flash my credentials on the camera and the most recent photo we have of you know who. He was willing to cooperate then. Especially when I told him the woman in question wasn't a criminal that he had to worry about." McGee paused to refresh his email and saw the message from the bank. "Okay, here it is." He clicked the attachment and smiled as he turned his laptop to them.

"It's her", Tony whispered. His eyes locked on the image of Ziva. She looked different, but still her. A lone tear escaped his eye as he got lost in his thoughts.

 _Finally. I found you babe._

"She's just made a withdrawal." Bishop informed, "It's less than what she normally takes. Like, way less."

"With the other accounts frozen, she had to probably use the last of her cash to even open the new account", McGee offered. "She'll most likely be doing smaller transactions to have enough activity for Tony to follow."

"Looks like it."

Tony finally came out of his thoughts and asked, "How much did she take?"

"Only five hundred dollars."

"Not enough to try to get diamonds and convert them." McGee noted. "Or to really by a plane ticket on short notice."

"But it is enough for a low key hotel for a few days", Tony spoke his realization as he stood. "I gotta get to Paris. She's waiting for me."

Bishop looked at the team, "You should all go. I'll stay back and keep running this alias, and the old one, against hotels. Plus, keep track of her activity. I can run interference if needed before you guys get there."

"I can go alone ... well, me and the munchkin."

"Tony, you're going to need support once you get to her, and she's going to need support too. All of you need this moment."

"Bishop's right", Gibbs agreed. "Go take my granddaughter and pack a bag. You go home too, McGee, and call Abs. Tell her we're takin' a trip."

"Next flight leaves in fours hours. I'm booking the tickets now."

Tony smiled, "thanks guys. For all of this. I couldn't have done it without you. Really this means ..." His quick speech was halted by a proper slap to the back of the head.

Gibbs smirked, "DiNozzo, ya gettin' sappy on me?"

"No, Boss", he chuckled.

"Good", he pat his back this time. "Now go so we can make that flight and get you to your girl!"

Not another word was needed. With all smiles, Tony took Tali and exited with McGee. Gibbs gave an approving nod to Bishop, who packed up her things as well to go home. There was more than hope this time running through their veins. It was the overwhelming sense of peace that they're soon be reunited with their missing piece— Ziva.

* * *

 **If you're reading this right now, the next update is already up. Enjoy!**

 **\- Chide**


	10. Hellos & Hugs

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter X - Hellos & Hugs**

* * *

It was a beautiful day and the start of a lovely evening as the sun began to set on Paris. The streets were vibrant as tourists wandered the city of love in spring time. Tony couldn't help but smile as he walked with Tali out of the hotel and onto the busy sidewalk. He held her hand tightly while the toddler skipped with her favorite stuffed dog, Kalev. They made their way down the familiar block and turned right at the corner. Waiting for the traffic light to change, Tony looked intently across the street. He saw a woman reading a book, sitting at the table he remembered from years ago. She almost looked exactly like the Ziva he had fallen in love with at that very table, except for the shorter, messier curls she wore under a light head scarf. Tali tugged his hand when the light changed and Tony looked down to give her a smile before they moved.

When they crossed the street, Tony stopped in front of the familiar cafè. He looked down at Tali again and placed his finger to his lip, signally for her to stay quiet. The toddler smiled brightly and nodded her head. It had been the little game they practiced a lot lately. Tali was excited to oblige, knowing that her abba did this whenever he was going to do something funny. But, this time, the joke did not come. Tony just stood there staring at the woman who now sat a few feet away. This was a waiting game for him.

After a few minutes, she looked from her book and they locked eyes. Hers widened as she slowly stood a took a step towards him.

"Tony?" It was a breathless whisper. Joyful tears began streaming down both their faces. A small breeze blew between them. The moment was perfect. "I knew you'd come", Ziva barely got out the words before he had lifted her up and kissed her passionately.

They didn't care who saw. They didn't care if people stopped and stared. They didn't want to let go. They needed the moment. They needed the release.

The perfect hello.

Eventually, as he let her feet come back to the ground and pulled away from her slightly, Tony spoke, "We have been looking for you."

The fact that he had said 'we' clicked in Ziva's mind immediately. She looked down beside him to see her angel standing there with a cheesy smile. "Tali", she exclaimed as she lifted the toddler. Relief washed over her as she knew this could only mean that her running was finally over.

"Ima", Tali giggled and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Missed you!"

"Oh my motek, Ima has missed you too", her voice broke as she cried harder. "I love you so much. I am so sorry my angel. I promise I will never lose you again!"

Tony watched quietly for a moment as the reality hit. When Tali pulled back in her mother's arms a little to wipe the tears, he smiled and stepped in close again. Ziva looked up at him again when he spoke, "Three hundred sixty-five days. Twelve hours. Seven minutes ... Sorry it took so long."

Ziva laughed through her tears, "It is okay. You are here now, that is what matters." She sniffed then kissed Tali on her forehead, "You have grown so much, motek. Abba took good care of you. I knew he would."

"Wasn't easy", Tony chuckled, "She's a feisty little ball of energy." He tickled Tali and she wiggled in Ziva's arms as she giggled. "Isn't that right ninja junior?"

"Ninja junior?" Ziva smiled and shook her head, "Of all the nicknames, that is what you have dubbed her?"

Tony shrugged, "Actually she has a few. I use Talikins, kid, warrior princess, and ninja junior a lot. She really likes when Tim calls her Talbear and when Abby calls her ..."

"Lil Zi!" Tali said excitedly, eliciting a laugh from both parents.

"Right, Lil Zi", Tony chuckled then looked in Ziva's eyes. "I think it fits. She's just like you, Zi."

Ziva blushed at hearing the old nickname and bit her lip. "Tony ... I need to apolo ..."

Tony placed his finger on her lips. "Not now ... we will talk later in private. There's a lot we both need to say and discuss. Preferably not with the munchkin staring us down. She's a nosey little thing."

"I suppose it can wait. I am just happy you came for me."

"Could of sworn I told you a long time ago that I couldn't live without you, Ziva David."

"That you did", she chuckled as she stood on her toes and gently kissed him. "Thank you for not giving up."

Tony smiled, "Never, we both needed you and wanted you. Even if I wanted to quit, Tali would never let me." Ziva smiled as he wiped another tear from her eyes, "It's okay now, Zi. I promise. New beginnings ... But first, right now, there's a few people who still want to see you. We should go to the hotel, they're waiting."

She looked at him nervously, "What few people?"

"Don't worry", he kissed her forehead then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I promise they're all excited and you have no need to be scared of seeing them. Truthfully, without them, I might still be looking for you."

"Who is it", she whispered, still nervous about seeing anyone so soon.

Tony tapped Tali and smirked when she lifted her head from Ziva's other shoulder, "Tell Ima who came with us, Talikins."

Tali smiled, "Grampa Gibbs! Uncle Tim! Auntie Abby!"

"Gibbs is here? And she calls him ..." Fresh tears formed in her eyes.

"You're still his daughter, Zi. Still McGee and Abby's sister. We've all missed you and have been searching like crazy. Come on, you wanted your family, so we're all here."

Ziva just nodded and took Tony's hand as her other clutched Tali tighter to her. As anxious as she was, she finally had a reason to be happy and breathe again.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, Tony stopped in front of the room the rest of their family awaited them. He looked at Ziva, "You ready?"

Ziva took a deep breathe, "It has been four years since I have seen them. I do not even know what to say. This is surreal."

"The words will come. You won't need to say much. Just ... embrace the moment." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and reached for Tali. "I know you never want to let go, but well Abs might .."

"Want to squeeze me in a bear hug", she softly chuckled as she slowly gave Tali over. "A few minutes will not hurt. Just, stay close."

"We'll be right behind you. Knock when you're ready."

Exhaling slowly, she raised her hand to knock. Before she could make contact, the door swung open. As predicted, Abby flung her arms around her best friend, "Ziva! Oh my God! It's really you! You're really here! We missed you so much! I can't believe it's you! It's been so long! We were all so worried! Oh but we got you back now! You're really right here! In my arms! This is so ..."

"Abby", Ziva got out, "need air."

"Oh! Sorry", Abby only loosened her hold slightly. "I'm just so happy we finally found you! I missed you so much, Ziva!"

"I missed you too, Abby." After another moment, they pulled apart and finally entered the room. McGee was next to hug her. She felt him release a sigh of relief as she said, "McGee, I am sor ..."

"Don't ", he interrupted as he pulled back. "I'm sorry I missed your call. And that you've had to go through all of this alone. I'm just glad you're alive and you're safe. I missed you." He hugged her again and stepped aside.

A silence fell over them as Gibbs stood from his seated position in the corner. He slowly made his way to her and Ziva lowered her head to avert his gaze. When he stood before her, Gibbs took her face in his hands and gently raised her head back up. He softly kissed her forehead then wrapped his arms around her. "Love you, Ziver."

Immediately, she sobbed into his chest as all her anxiety washed away. In just 20 minutes, everything had become right again in her world. It was finally over. No more running. No more hiding. All this time, she had been afraid of being turned away, when all they wanted was to hold her close. And that's exactly what they did as Tony, Tali, McGee, and Abby surrounded them and joined in for a group hug ... no, a family hug. One that spoke hello to the future and goodbye to the past. All had been forgotten in that moment. There was no need to dwell. There was only need to be— together.

* * *

 **Short and sweet, because TIVA still has to have "the talk".**

 **That'll be next ... See ya in a few days peeps!**

 **\- Chide**


	11. Conversations & Missions

**.**

* * *

 **"EVERYTHING"**

 **Chapter XI - Conversations & Missions**

* * *

"She is finally asleep", Ziva whispered as she looked over her shoulder to see Tony exit the bathroom. "I cannot believe she stays up so late now."

"Yeah, well", Tony chuckled nervously as he scratched his head, "We didn't really figure out a sleep schedule with everything going on. Most nights she crashes late then wakes up in the middle of the night looking for ..." He let the sentence die there when Ziva gave a sad knowing nod.

She wiped a stray tear and looked back at Tali. "I should not have left her behind."

"You did what you thought was right", Tony offered.

"And now it has cost me missing an entire year of her life, including her birthday", she said in a defeated tone. "She has grown so much. I have missed a lot."

"It's better than missing two years and not knowing about her at all." He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but it did.

Ziva's head snapped up to meet his gaze, "Tony ... I ..."

"I know, you're sorry. It's fine."

"It is not fine, I should have told you about Tali but ..."

"There are no buts, Ziva", he interrupted rudely. "Just drop it, okay? You're back now. Tali has her Ima back. Everything is back to normal."

Ziva swallowed the knot in her throat and tried to keep an even temper as she realized Tony was about to get angry. She knew this conversation was necessary, but she didn't want things to get too heated. Not with their sleeping daughter in the room. Calmly she asked, "What exactly is 'back to normal'?"

"Don't know", he shrugged, "Guess it means you taking Tali back to Israel and raising her like you wanted. Cutting me out again. Pretending I don't exist."

"Tony, that is not what I want."

"Could've fooled me", he stated sarcastically as he sat in a chair on the other side of the room.

Ziva tried to fight back her tears. "Why would you assume that I want that?"

"Maybe because you had to 'die' in order for me to even know I had a daughter. Where you EVER planning on telling me?!" Tony's chest heaved as his emotions started spiraling out of his control. This isn't how he wanted the conversation to go but his deep emotions about the entire situation beat his better, more civilized, judgement. Standing from his seat, he started pacing the floor. He needed to vent, so he did. "Two years Ziva! I missed TWO YEARS of my daughter's life, and for what? I talked to Orli after she brought Tali to DC. She told me you found out you were pregnant a couple months after I left you in Tel Aviv. I was STILL trying to keep contact with you during that time! You had EVERY opportunity to tell me about her before she was even born! You cheated me out of being a father! Out of being in her life!"

"It was not easy." Ziva's eyes pleaded for understanding but Tony was too caught up in his hurt.

"How?! How was it NOT easy?!" Tony stopped pacing and threw his hand up in frustration as he looked at Ziva, "All you had to do was say two words, 'I'm pregnant'! That's ALL you had to say! I would have been there to help and be the father my daughter needed! Now I've been stuck trying to play catch-up because you wanted to what? Prove, once again, that you don't need a man? We get it, okay!? The ENTIRE world gets it! The almighty Ziva David is Ms. Independent! But what about me? What about my feelings? What about what I needed?"

"I did think about your feelings Tony! And that is why I did not tell you!" She paused as the tears broke free. "I knew you would have given up everything you loved to do the honorable thing and come back to Israel for us! I could not let you do that! I did not want you to give up your life!"

Tony scoffed, "Newsflash! I gave up everything I loved when I left you on that tarmac almost four years ago! YOUwhere everything I loved and you forced me to leave! I gave up my life when you told me to get on that plane and never look back!"

The increased elevation in his voice, and the tension in the room, caused Tali to stir in her sleep. The small whimper that escaped the now three year old brought Tony back to a level head. He sighed and picked her up just as she started to cry, "Shhh. I'm sorry Talikins. Abba didn't mean to wake you. It's okay, sleep princess." Within moments the toddler was back to sleep.

Ziva watched as he laid Tali back on the bed and tucked her in sweetly. "You may have missed two years", she whispered softly, "but you are extremely good with her. As if you have been there the entire time."

Tony looked up but didn't say anything, the hurt in his eyes said enough.

"I know what I did was probably selfish ..."

"Probably?"

Ziva sighed, "Okay, I was very selfish. I just did not know how to tell you. Then time kept moving and it got ..."

"Harder? Yeah, I know... Orli told me that too."

"Tony", she grabbed his wrist lightly to stop him from putting distance between them again. "I want to fix this. To fix... us."

"What us?" He shook his head, "You stopped any chance of 'us' a long time ago."

Ziva stood and stared in his eyes, "I want to try now. We deserve that chance again. Tali deserves both her parents ... And if it was really over, you would have never came to find me. You would have never kissed me the way you did earlier." Tony rolled his eyes and turned his face but she gently turned it back to meet his gaze again. "Please, I know I have not made the best decisions in the past, and I do not deserve your forgiveness ... but ... I am asking you to forgive me. I am begging you to find it in your heart to give US one more chance. The worst mistake of my life was letting you go. I do not want to lose you again. And Tali needs you more than ever. We BOTH need you. I truly am sorry, Tony."

"You broke my heart ... again", he whispered as his forehead touched hers.

"I know", she said breathlessly as her heartbeat sped up. "But I have always been good at putting it back together. I swear, the last time was the very last time. Let me mend it again. I promise, I will cherish it the way I should have a long time ago. Let me prove it, please ..."

Silence fell between them. There was nothing left for either to say. Time seemed to stand still as Tony closed his eyes and closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a sweet kiss that spoke his full forgiveness and her full appreciation.

When they finally pulled apart, Tony spoke, "We have a lot of work to do, but I'm willing to try. If not for us, then for our daughter. I can't take another setback, so I need you to be sure that this is what you want before I invest my heart into you again."

"I am sure ... this is all I have wanted since the day Tali was born ... my family."

"Zi, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Tali loves too!"

They both burst into laughter as they turned to look at a fully awake Tali. The toddler giggled and reached to be picked up and brought into the hug. Ziva shook her head as she went to the bed and picked her up, "You really need to get back to a normal sleep schedule when we get home, motek." When she brought Tali over to Tony, Ziva looked up at him pensively, "Where is home now exactly?"

"Well", he chuckled, "We have a few, but lately we have been in DC. I guess we can talk about what you want to do when we get back. The place in Tel Aviv that Senior got us is pretty sweet, but I really liked being back in DC and Talikins likes being close to Grampa Gibbs and company."

"I still cannot believe you left NCIS."

"Didn't have a choice."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. You were gone and I was all Tali had left. I was her everything, and she became mine. I couldn't put myself in danger every day and leave her with no one. Plus, we had a new mission to find Ima, right Talikins?"

The toddler giggled as Tony tickled her, "Mish-on! Mish-on!"

Ziva chuckled, "Well, now we have a new mission."

"What's that", he asked, intrigued by her tone.

"Being a family. Being each other's _everything_."

* * *

 **I know. I know. This was LOONNNGGGGGG overdue.**

 **I swear, life got in the way. Between school and wedding planning and traveling out of the country.**

 **My bad peeps. BUT, here's my promise:**

 **I'm starting another story. Hopefully within the next few days. That is, if my peeps want me to.**

 **It's totally up to you guys. Anyhooooo ... Thanks for reading!**

 **.**

 **Later peeps!**

 **\- Chide**


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